


Regina's New Job

by raeinspace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:35:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6777271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raeinspace/pseuds/raeinspace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the curse breaks, AU. Regina is no longer the mayor, Emma suggests a new job (sorry, I'm terrible at summaries - suggestions welcome). SwanQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Regina's New Job

Chapter 1.

Emma dropped by to see Regina during her lunch break. Since her parents had taken over the joint running of the town the now ex-mayor was jobless. It hadn’t improved her disposition.  
“Your father suggested I take his old job at the animal shelter.” Regina rolled her eyes. “Like I would want to spend time looking after flea-ridden animals in a dingy little building all day.”  
“What about the library? Belle was offered Mary Margaret’s old job.”  
She might have spent twenty-eight years learning about this world but the parents still wouldn’t trust Regina with their children. Even after seeing how she was around Henry. Of course, Emma wasn’t sure he would have appreciated having his mom for a teacher so she hadn’t argued.  
“The library? Why not keep me out of everyone’s way and toss me down the elevator shaft? I’ll find a job online, something that lets me work from home and then everyone will be happy.”   
“Well what qualifications do you have?”  
“I did a couple of correspondence and online courses while I was mayor, just to keep contact with the outside world and make my job look legitimate. The certificates are in a box somewhere.”  
Emma began looking where Regina had casually pointed. There were blue boxes labelled alphabetically. She chose ‘C’ and pulled it out.   
“This one?”  
“Just sit down and eat your lunch. I can look through it later.”  
“I’m curious.”  
“Just because your parents are in charge doesn’t mean you can take infinite lunch breaks.” Regina reminded her.  
Emma shrugged and brought the box back to her chair. “If I’m talking about work then it’s classed as a working lunch and I can take my time. Why don’t you tell me about your day while I… wow Regina, how many courses did you say you took?”  
She flicked through the sheets of paper. Clearly Regina hadn’t wasted the last twenty-eight years being idle. There were a variety of subjects and headers, some dated just before she had arrived in town.  
“Things change so quickly here. They were my escape plan, in case the curse broke and I had to leave Storybrooke. It would be hard explaining why I had certificates which were too outdated and I kept finding new subjects which interested me so I kept studying.”  
“Literature, biology, chemistry…”  
“Making me eminently more qualified than Belle to teach, I assure you.”  
“Hey, what’s this one? Law?”  
Regina raised an eyebrow. “Probably from the early days, when I thought it might be relevant.”  
Emma looked at the date. Yes, she’d barely started at school and Regina had already completed it.   
“I always meant to look into a refresher course, but I doubt becoming a lawyer would help my reputation in this town.”  
Emma chuckled. “Good point, but what about law enforcement? I could use a deputy.”  
It was Regina’s turn to laugh. “For a minute there I thought you were serious.”  
“I am.”  
“Really? The Evil Queen with a badge trying to stop crime and save people? I think you need to go and see Dr Whale….or Archie.”  
“I mean it. Together we’d have it covered. You could quote what laws they’ve broken and I can run them down and arrest them. You always said my reports needed work and you love paperwork.”  
“Nobody likes paperwork.”  
“But you’re good at it and you’re organised. It could work.”  
“I don’t think. It’s not a good idea.”  
“Why not?”  
“We’re dating for one.”  
“So, we can spend more time together.”  
“Two, a sheriff is a position of responsibility, no-one would agree to it.”  
“Deputy sheriff.” Emma stressed.  
Regina lifted her chin. “Full sheriff or nothing. I refuse to be lower.”  
“You can’t have two sheriffs in a town this size. It’s ridiculous.”  
“Problem solved.”  
Emma took out her cell.  
“Who are you calling?”  
Emma smiled at her. “Hi, it’s me. So, can I make Regina my deputy?…. Uh huh, yeah she’s right here. She has a law qualification and she knows the town inside out. I can give her paperwork to start her off…. Well, no she’s frowning at me and shaking her head but I one of her arguments is that you wouldn’t agree… that’s great. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind on a trial basis…”  
Regina wanted to go over and strangle Emma. How dare she ask her mother? Now Snow White would tell people they were letting her take the job, and on a trial basis? Why did Henry insist on that ridiculous notion of her not using magic?   
Emma ended the call and picked up her lunch, taking a large bite.  
“Do I get a gun?” Regina asked, causing Emma to choke on the ham and cheese sandwich.  
“What?” Emma reached for her drink.  
Had she heard correctly?  
“I’ll accept a trial basis as deputy if I become a full sheriff afterwards and if I get a gun. After all I can’t use magic to apprehend criminals.”  
God, people were going to be scared enough that she had a badge. They didn’t believe she’d given up magic and they’d assume she’d cast a spell on them to arrest them; she couldn’t arm her as well.  
“Most of the work is finding lost pets, I don’t think you’d need one.”  
“You have one and Graham had one.”  
“Do you even know how to use a gun?”  
“Graham showed me once. Point and shoot. We practiced with tin cans in the woods, away from people. Part of his curse memories included information about guns, but I never thought I’d need one.”  
“There’s more to it than that.”  
Her parents were going to kill her.  
“Perhaps you could show me.” Regina suggested, lowering her voice and leaning forward so that Emma caught a glimpse of the top of her bra. “We could make it a date. Go for dinner afterwards.”  
“A date at the shooting range?”  
“Well, you’d have to show me how to hold the gun, maybe stand close behind me, put your hands over mine…”  
Emma had goosebumps at the thought of pressing her body against Regina’s. They still hadn’t gone all the way in their relationship; scared in their own way. Then there was Henry…if he wasn’t with one of them he was with the other. They had come close, once when he was at school and Emma had come over like this for lunch… then the call came in about a break-in across town so she’d had to leave. Now it felt like Regina was trying to avoid a reoccurrence, sitting away from her as they ate. Emma felt awkward mentioning it. She didn’t want to push…  
“Maybe your parents could baby-sit Henry?” Regina trying filling the silence Emma had left.  
“Baby-sit?”  
“While we have dinner. I assume we’ll be out late. By the time you finish work, we go to the shooting range, eat…”  
“Oh.” She tried not to look too disappointed.  
The front door slammed shut as Henry ran through the house. Emma hadn’t heard it open.  
“Hey mom’s.” He called out, spotting Emma’s shoes and guessing which room they’d be in.  
“Shouldn’t you be at school?” Regina asked when he appeared.  
“I had to come. I’ve been waiting all day…”  
“It’s only lunchtime.”  
“But I had to ask…”  
“You cannot just leave school when you want to.”  
Henry looked towards Emma, hoping for some sympathy but she agreed with Regina on this one. She was not going to let her son throw away his future. He had to go to school.  
“She’s right. Unless there’s been a major disaster, medical emergency or your teacher gave you permission…”  
Henry shook his head. That meant she could expect a call from the school shortly. If they noticed he was missing.  
“But Archie said Pongo’s going to have puppies. Well not Pongo, obviously, but apparently some lady with a female Dalmatian contacted Archie…”  
Emma merely raised an eyebrow but Regina looked shocked. Henry was too young to know where babies came from. She’d never had the talk with him. What did he know? Thankfully Emma took charge.  
“Um, Henry, what did Archie tell you?”  
“That they took the dogs to a vet and he helped make the puppies. He wouldn’t tell me how exactly, said I should ask you…” Henry scrunched up his face. “But if it’s going to be as complicated as biology homework usually is I’d rather wait until I can understand it a bit better.”  
Thank God, Regina loosened her grip on her plate.  
“So anyway he asked if I would like a puppy, because he knows how much I like Pongo. He did say it would have to be all right with you and that it’s a big responsibility. So, can I? Please?”  
“When did these puppies arrive?” Emma asked.  
“Emma!” Regina cut off Henry’s reply. “I think we should discuss this and make a joint decision.”  
“So that’s a ‘no’ then.” Henry frowned.  
“I didn’t say that, but there is a lot to talk about. For example, where would the puppy live? You’ve got to train it, feed it and take care of it.”  
“It would live with me. Whichever house I’m staying at, it would come too.”  
“So you’d need two sets of everything in each house.”  
“Yeah, but not for a couple of months. It would love it here, you’ve got a big garden and maybe it could be company for you while I’m at school and Emma’s at work.”  
“You did say you were looking into working from home…” Emma teased her.  
“I am not having a dog dig up my garden and chew all of my shoes. A dog would just end up multiplying. I saw that film, you start with one, then it becomes two and soon there’s a whole family of hundreds running around breaking things and slobbering over the furniture.”  
Emma chuckled. “You do realise that Disney film was cartoon dogs and that all those puppies weren’t born to the two parents?”  
“I watched the live action version and sympathised with…” Regina stopped before she said the misunderstood villains. “With the humans who had to look after all those animals.”  
“Henry, what did you mean a couple of months?”  
“Well they haven’t been born just yet and then they have to stay with the mother a couple of months. I thought I should ask you early and give you a chance to prepare… to consider it properly before saying yes or no.”  
Regina stood up. “So, you’re telling us that you’ve skipped school for a conversation which could easily have waited another couple of hours? It doesn’t seem very responsible Henry.”  
“But…”  
“She’s right. Come on, I’ll take you back to school and then your mother and I will have a chat.”  
“About the puppies?”  
Emma put a hand on his shoulder. “About your punishment for leaving school without permission.”  
She nodded to Regina and began to lead him out of the room.   
“I can take him. You should get back to work.” Regina told her.  
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got to stop off at the town hall on the way and sort out the trial basis stuff with our new mayors. Perhaps you want to come?”  
Regina held out her hands in surrender. “Your idea, your meeting.”  
“What trial basis?” Henry asked, curious.  
“Talk in the car kid, no more wasting time.”  
“Will you be coming back after?” Regina asked as she stood at the front door to see them out.   
“Sure, we’ve got lots to discuss.”  
Henry just hoped Emma would persuade Regina to go easy on his punishment. It wasn’t like he had done this kind of thing before. Well, okay that one time he left Storybrooke to find Emma, but since then…  
Emma kissed Regina goodbye as Henry got into the car. She hoped meeting with her parents to discuss the job offer wouldn’t take too long.  
“Seatbelt.” Emma reminded Henry as she started the engine.  
As they drove away, he wondered if his grandparents would want a puppy.

Chapter 2.

“A puppy would be a good deputy for the sheriff, don’t you think?” Regina asked as she passed Emma a cup of hot chocolate.   
The diner wasn’t busy at this hour, but they had taken a booth far away from everyone else to get a little privacy.  
“You’re trying to stick me with the dog?”  
“I think it would be nice for Henry to have a pet. He’s shown he can be responsible, … most of the time, but I’m not a dog person.”  
“You like Pongo.”  
“Correction: he likes me and so I stroke him to say hello but I wouldn’t want a dog around 24/7. They want too much attention. With a cat you just put out a bowl of food and they’ll fend for themselves. Dogs won’t leave you alone, you have to take them for walks.”  
Emma smiled. Regina didn’t realise how much she had changed. Emma could remember when she first arrived in Storybrooke, Regina barely acknowledged Archie had a dog.  
“So if Henry wanted a cat, you’d let him have one?”  
“God no. No pets.”  
“But you like horses?”  
“Back in our world they were a means of transportation. They lived in a stable away from the house, not inside it.”  
Of course, going to the stables gave her a chance to get away from her mother. Stroking the horses and caring for them had felt good. She remembered brushing her horse and feeding it apples from the palm of her hand, calm and relaxed. Regina’s breathing slowed as she pictured the stables, with Daniel waiting for her. Those were her happiest memories, until she had Henry.   
Regina shook her head. “Horses are just different. So, we still have to talk about his punishment for leaving school.”  
“Grounding him? No TV? What would you usually do?”  
“I think this situation calls for a different tactic.”  
“Like?”  
“Helping out at the animal shelter.”  
“Won’t he think we’re going to let him get the puppy?”  
“It’s not a treat. He will be cleaning out cages and learning how much work goes into looking after animals.”  
“For how long?”  
“Fitting it in around his schedule, I’d say a couple of hours every Saturday for two months.”  
“A bit too much. One month?”  
The corner of Regina’s lip lifted. “Six Saturdays.”  
“Agreed. So, about the job...”  
Regina was a little unnerved that Emma had agreed so easily. Sure, since they had started dating they didn’t argue as much, but…  
“What did your parents say?”  
“They agreed to the trial basis.”  
“You have surprised me.”  
“Which just leaves one final detail.” Emma wrapped her fingers around her cup and looked up at Regina feeling a little nervous.  
A half-dozen dates and it still felt like the first one was only just over.  
“And that is?”  
“To set a date for the shooting range.”   
“It’s your night to have Henry.” Regina reminded her.  
“I’ve got the babysitting covered. Unless you have other plans?”  
“Social pariah. I think I’m free.”  
“Good. I’ll pick you up after work, then we can grab dinner.”  
\--  
Okay, so maybe she had lied a little. Emma pulled up to her parent’s office and went inside. They had agreed to Regina’s trial in theory, but they hadn’t had time to argue out the little details before they had to get back to work and asked her to come back later. The secretary smiled at her as she walked over and waved her on in, who would stop the saviour from going to see her parents?  
Snow sat behind the desk while her husband took some paperwork out of a filing cabinet. They had brought an extra desk into Regina’s old office, putting them side-by-side and cheering up the décor with pictures of their family on the walls and desks.   
Emma knocked on the open door.  
“Come in.” Snow smiled when she saw her but didn’t stand.  
She was in the middle of writing an email and needed to concentrate for just another moment before sending it. The wording had to be just right or it might offend someone and that could cause them even more work.  
“Running Storybrooke may be harder than ruling a kingdom.” David acknowledged when he saw her. “You’d think having all this technology would make it easier, but…”  
“Regina managed it.” Emma reminded him. “Her organisation skills will be a great asset as deputy sheriff.”  
“Ah, yes. That. Emma, your mother and I have been talking and…”  
“Finished!” Snow’s exclamation of triumph drew their attention away from each other, but only for a second.  
“I told Regina you agreed to the trial basis.” Emma folded her arms and stared at her parents, daring them to tell her they’d changed their minds.  
Her stubborn expression reminded Snow of her husband. They had agreed, but only because Emma had cornered them when they were too busy to think about what they were agreeing to. Since then, they’d had time to talk.  
“And, well, we’re worried about what people will say.” Snow tried to explain.  
“They’ll see you giving her another chance and trust you because you’re the symbol of all things good.” Emma was only half-serious.  
“We understand that you want to help her…”  
“But we’re just not sure she’s ready for this kind of role.” Snow finished his sentence. “Perhaps she could take Belle’s place in the library?”  
“Look, this wasn’t Regina’s idea, it was mine. She’s too smart to be stuck in a job she doesn’t want. Yes Belle was smart, but she loved books and she loved the library so that was different.” Time to try another tactic. “I could really use Regina’s help. Two sheriffs means half the paperwork and I could have more time to spend with Henry, being his mom.”  
That got Snow’s sympathy straight away. Emma could see some hope for her cause. Maybe she shouldn’t mention the gun part just yet. Get something in writing first, then ease them into the idea once Regina had proven herself competent.  
“There would have to be something in place to monitor her progress.”  
“Well, I’ll be there. We can work together as I show her the ropes and I’ll let you know how she’s getting on.”  
“There won’t be a conflict of interest there? With Henry, I mean?”  
“No. He’s the reason she’s been trying to change.”  
“What about you?”  
“Me?”  
“You won’t have a conflict of interest, working with Regina?”  
No way her parents knew. They still hadn’t told Henry. It had only been a couple of dates, easily passed off with the excuse they were meeting to talk about Henry. Regina had suggested showing everyone that they could be friends first, just so they weren’t too shocked. Emma had wondered if that was Regina’s fear talking, thinking they wouldn’t make it that long. She hoped it wasn’t true. The way she felt about her, well, she wasn’t about to let her go over a silly little argument. Not that they had really argued since they started dating. Perhaps that had clued her parents in?  
Damn, how long had it been since they asked that question?  
Emma pretended to be thinking about her answer, as if that would show she had been seriously considering the possibility. “No. I think we can both be professional. Any arguments about Henry… you can trust us to focus on the job.”  
“Okay, I just thought that you’ve been acting a little differently around her recently.”  
“We haven’t been fighting as much, if that’s what you mean. I guess not having the stress of being mayor makes her less grumpy about other things.”  
Her father laughed. “I can understand that.”  
“But” her mother pressed, “you’ll be the one working with her all the time. She’s still Regina. Are you sure that you don’t mind?”  
“Look, it might not work out. She might decide the library is more suitable for her and that’s okay. I just… she just needs to be doing something.”  
“You think she might go back to her old self if she doesn’t have a job?”  
“Henry, remember, but I don’t think he’d appreciate having her put all her energy into looking after him.”  
“I guess when she was the mayor she had limited time to do that.”  
“So, can I get something in writing authorising the funds for her new job and maybe a few words to everyone else to give her a chance to do this?”  
David shrugged and looked at Snow. It was her decision. As always, when it came to Regina, she had the final word.   
Eventually, Snow nodded. She didn’t look happy with her decision, but she made it anyway. She just wished she understood why it made Emma so happy.

Chapter 3.

Regina frowned as Emma dropped another pile of manila folders onto the desk.   
“I didn’t sign up as Sheriff just to do your paperwork.” She told her, tossing a pen onto the desk and pushing the completed files away.  
“You’re the one who always told me it was an important part of being the Sheriff.”  
“I’m starting to feel like you’re hiding me away in here. When do I get to do real the work?”  
Emma casually leant against the desk, glad for the excuse to be close to Regina. It was just day two, but she was already enjoying spending the extra time with her. So far her parents had been too busy to pop in and check up on Regina. She hoped it would stay that way.   
“It’s a small town. Some days are just quiet. As soon as a cat gets stuck up a tree I’ll ask the fire department to let us handle it, if that’s what you want.”  
“I suppose your parents…”  
“Seriously, give them a break they…”  
“Still don’t know about us?”  
“No.” Emma looked down at the floor. “I’m not ready to tell them yet.”  
“Good. I agree.”  
Emma raised an eyebrow. “You do?”  
“A couple of reasons.”  
Regina purposefully left the answer hang in the air. She was irritated with the thought that Emma didn’t trust her enough to give her any responsibility. Why had she agreed to this job? She hadn’t really expected Snow White would let her do it.   
She glared at the new stack of paperwork. If she refused to do it, then Emma would get in trouble. Regina smirked. Let Emma’s parents try where she had failed, now that they were in charge.   
“Do you have plans for tonight?” Emma asked brushing her fingers over the back of Regina’s hand. “We could go back to the shooting range, give you a chance for some more practice.”  
“Are you trying to bribe me into doing the paperwork now?”  
Emma sighed and grabbed at the folders. “Is it really so hard to believe I just want to spend time with you?”  
Feeling guilty, Regina put her hand out to stop Emma. “I’m sorry. Leave the files, I’ll take a look at them.”  
“I don’t want a fight over work stuff to turn into a fight over us.” Emma told her.  
“Maybe…” Regina paused as she heard a noise.  
“Hello?” A voice called out. “Is anyone here?”  
Emma jumped away from the desk, knocking the top folder from the pile. She scrambled to pick up the scattered pages as the door opened and Archie walked in. If he noticed anything strange in the way Emma avoided looking at Regina as she replaced the paperwork, he didn’t mention it.  
“How can we help you?” Regina asked, sounding exactly the same as she had when she was the mayor.  
Archie wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to address Emma or Regina. Snow White had told him about Regina’s new job, asking for his professional opinion and stressing that there was a trial period. To be sure he didn’t offend either of them, he answered by switching his gaze at each in turn.  
“I just wanted to apologise. I heard Henry skipped school to tell you about the puppies and I realise it might have been my fault…”  
“I think Henry’s old enough to know that it was wrong to leave the school…” Regina began.  
“We don’t blame you, Archie. He was just excited.” Emma finished for her, wanting Archie to understand that they knew it wasn’t his fault.  
“Well, if you have any questions…”  
Regina quickly interrupted him. “We haven’t decided whether to let him have a puppy yet…”  
“But there a some things we’ll need to know… to help make the decision.” Emma gave Regina a look, begging her to consider the puppy.  
“Would you mind if we arranged to meet with you to discuss it another time. Over lunch, perhaps?” Regina relented, nodding at the paperwork to show Archie they were busy.  
“Of course. I completely understand.” He paused, not leaving and looking like he still had something to add.  
“Was there something else?” Regina prompted.  
“Erm…”  
Emma crossed her arms. “Just spit it out.”  
“Your parents were a little worried. They heard you took Regina to the shooting range and...”  
“If she’s going to be my deputy…”  
“I understand, they’re just concerned...”  
“We’re going to do it by the book, I’m teaching her and then we’ll apply for a permit. It’s not like I can just give her a gun and expect her to start using it straight away. There are laws here.”  
“That’s good, but they want me to evaluate Regina and make sure she’s …”  
“What?” Emma looked outraged. “They think if she gets a gun she’ll go on a murderous rampage through Storybrooke?”  
Regina moved to put a hand on Emma’s shoulder to try and calm her. She understood. It wasn’t Archie’s fault.  
“Emma, it’s fine. If that’s what it takes to put everyone’s mind at ease…”  
“It’s not okay.” Emma shook her hand off and moved towards Archie, who quickly threw his hands into the air.   
“I’m just the messenger.”  
“Then you can give my parents the following message in return…”  
“I’ll do it.” Regina quickly interrupted her. “When is your next free appointment?”  
“What?” Emma turned back, only halfway across the room.  
“I said…”  
Emma began walking back towards her, confused by the smile on Regina’s face. “I heard what you said, but you shouldn’t have to do it.”  
“Then I’m choosing to do it.” She looked past Emma at Archie. “How about tomorrow? I would appreciate a break from all this paperwork.”  
“Of course.” He fished in his pocket for his appointment diary and flipped over the pages quickly. “Yes, I have 10am free tomorrow.”  
“Great. I’ll see you then.”  
When he had gone, Regina quietly turned back to the folders on the desk. She wasn’t sure she could face the hurt look on Emma’s face any longer.  
“Why?” Emma’s voice was soft when she finally spoke, and she came to stand by the desk, one hand holding onto her elbow.  
“An appointment with Archie isn’t the worst thing in the world.”  
“I can talk to my parents, make them change their minds.”  
“Maybe I want to talk to him. I tried once before and I think it could help.”  
“You could talk to me. I’d listen.”  
Regina looked up at her. “I know you would. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone else first…”  
“Because he knew you back then. Well if you talked to me about it then I’d know too.”  
“Emma, it’s not like that. I’m just scared.”  
“You’re never scared.”  
“I afraid that if you know everything about me you’ll realise that you don’t want us to be together.”  
“I know you were the Evil Queen and that you tried to kill my mother.”  
Regina laughed. “That’s not my whole life story. I did so many worse things, destroyed so many more lives than that.”  
“I can handle it. It won’t change my feelings for you.”  
“The words are easy to say, but…”  
Emma reached out and covered Regina’s hands with her own. “No, it’s the truth. I don’t love easily Regina, but I do love you and being able to say that is a really big deal for me.”  
Regina took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest at the words. It felt so wonderful to hear Emma say those words and at the same time it hurt because she still didn’t feel worthy of that kind of love. She wanted to say the words back to her, but something was stopping her. That was why she wanted to see Archie. She needed his help to be the type of person Emma deserved. She wanted to admit out loud that she loved her. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t.  
“I know.” She looked up at Emma, finally. “Let me talk to Archie and I’ll answer any of your questions.”  
“Promise?”  
“I promise.”

Chapter 4.

“Hey Emma, where’s your shadow today?”  
“Don’t call her that.” Emma frowned at Ruby as she entered the diner and sat down at a table by the window, facing out.   
“Sorry. I meant deputy.”  
Emma glanced outside, her gaze wandering across the street to the door for Archie’s offices. 10.05am. Regina was probably already inside. She’d wanted to go with her. Regina had reminded her that no-one was supposed to know about them and she didn’t think Sheriff’s usually attended their deputy’s counselling sessions.  
“Then we’ll say I’m there as your friend. To lend support.”  
“And who’ll be taking care of the town? What if there’s a major emergency, or…”  
“We have these tiny devices called cell phones. They let people contact us 24/7.”  
“Emma…”  
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You want some privacy.”  
Ruby placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of Emma as an apology. She’d put extra cinnamon on for her. Emma didn’t notice, she was still staring at the street outside. If only she could see Regina standing at Archie’s window. Just to be sure she was there.   
-  
Regina had turned up to Archie’s office ten minutes early. She had been afraid of chickening out and made herself get ready with plenty of time to spare. Now though, she hovered outside the door to his office trying to find the courage to knock. She wished she hadn’t agreed to come here. Why had she said she’d come? She’d told Emma she didn’t mind, but that was just to make it seem like she was okay with it. What was she supposed to say to the cricket? Did he have a list of questions from Snow White that she had to get right in order to be allowed to keep her job? As long as he didn’t want to talk about her mother. Or her father. She was hoping he still didn’t know about her and Emma.  
One of the floorboards creaked as she paced up and down. After the third time, the door to Archie’s office opened and he looked out at her with a smile.  
“Ready to come in?” He asked.  
“Is the floorboard there on purpose?” She countered.  
He laughed, stepping aside to let her in. “No, but it’s handy. If it suddenly goes quiet I know the person has left and if it keeps making that noise I know they’re waiting to come in.”  
Regina looked around his office as she entered. It wasn’t the first time she had been there, but it had been a while. When everyone was under the curse she had been here with Henry. After, she had come twice, but neither time made her comfortable so she kept the visits short, confirming that she was trying to give up magic and struggling to do so. Trying to talk about Henry was harder. Emotions weren’t something she dealt with easily and sharing her thoughts and feelings was too much like weakness, letting herself show a vulnerable side.   
“Can I get you something to drink?” Archie offered as he headed towards his comfy chair.  
“No, thank you.” She had never accepted a tea or coffee before; there was no reason to start now. “How long do you think this will take?”  
Archie watched her take a seat and settled the writing pad on his lap. “I’ve got another appointment in an hour, but if you need more time…”  
“That should be plenty. You said Snow White wants you to evaluate me. Why don’t you start with your questions.”  
“It’s not that simple.”  
“Of course not. Well, go ahead, you said we’ve only got an hour.”  
Archie adjusted his glasses. “Ah, yes…”  
Regina waited patiently, allowing her eyes to wander over the room. She wanted to suggest changes to his décor, now the curse was lifted he had no reason to keep it the same as it had been for the last few decades. The filing cabinet needed to be updated, it didn’t look very secure and if he was going to keep a file on her then she wanted something with a better lock. She missed what Archie was saying to her at first, only catching her name half-way through a sentence.   
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” She asked.  
“I was suggesting that we begin by discussing something that would make you feel more comfortable, before we move on to the past.”  
“Like…?”  
“How you felt during the curse, how you handled being the only one able to remember and watching time pass while everyone else was ignorant of it.”  
“Okay.”  
-  
Emma checked her watch again. If Regina was in there, the hour was nearly up. At least, she assumed the appointment would be an hour. What if it was less, to give Archie ten minutes between patients to read the next file? Or what if they were only half an hour and his next appointment was late? No-one had gone in or out of the main entrance since she had been sitting there.   
She crossed her legs, desperate for the toilet but wanting to wait just another five minutes. The pressure on her bladder increased.   
“Another drink?” Ruby asked, reaching for her half-empty cup.  
“No.” Emma tried to keep watch on the window, her voice a little strained. “Thank you.”  
Her heel tapped against the foot of the chair. That was it. She couldn’t wait any longer. Emma jumped up off her chair and headed to the restroom.   
When she came back out, Regina was standing at the counter waiting to order. Trying to look casual, Emma headed over to the tills.  
“A little late to be ordering breakfast.” Ruby noted as she saw Regina staring at the menu.  
“I thought I’d put in a lunch order to save time later.”  
“Emma, where’d you go?” Ruby looked around Regina to ask the question. “You left half your drink I wasn’t sure if you still wanted it.”  
Emma blushed as Regina turned her gaze round to look knowingly at her. “I have to get back to work. Perhaps I could put in a lunch order while I’m here too?”  
“Sure. Regina? You were here first.”  
“My usual. Ready for 12.30 if that’s all right?”  
“Of course. Emma?”  
“Same… er, my usual that is. Not Regina’s usual, but the same time then just one of us has to come and pick it up.”  
“No problem.” Ruby noted it down and headed into the kitchen to leave a note with Granny.  
Regina began walking out of the diner and Emma followed. “Are we going to take it in turns to collect lunches? Or is that another ‘deputy-only’ duty?” She asked.  
“No, I’ll get them today.”  
They walked back to the station in silence. 

Chapter 5. 

Emma wanted to ask how the session with Archie had gone, but knew that Regina wouldn’t want to talk about it in public. As soon as they were back in the sheriff’s station, Regina answered her questions before she could ask them.  
“Archie asked how I’m finding the new job. He wanted to know if I miss the curse.” Regina began.  
“You don’t have to tell me.” Emma hated saying it, but she knew she had to. “I understand if the things you say to Archie are private.”  
“Really? So I can talk to him about you and you won’t mind?”  
“Me?”  
Regina turned away so Emma wouldn’t see her smile. “Of course. You’re a big part of my life now.”  
“Did you tell him about us?”  
Regina shrugged, not trusting her voice.  
“What if he tells someone? Like my parents.”  
“I’m sure if he thinks it best…”  
“Well, they haven’t stormed in here yet, brandishing their pitchforks…”  
Regina laughed and turned back to face Emma. “I’m sorry, that was mean. I just told him what he wanted to hear. That, of course I’m finding it strange, but I haven’t been using magic.”  
“Hey! That wasn’t very nice.” Emma moved towards her. “If they’re going to find out they should hear it from us.”  
“Or just from you.” Regina suggested. “Preferably when I’m the other side of the town line.”  
Emma wrapped her arms around Regina’s neck. “You’re not going anywhere.”  
Regina smiled at her. “Then I think you should show me a reason to stay.”  
Without hesitation, Emma kissed her. The kiss was so intense, they forgot where they were for a second and their hands moved across the others body, reaching for clothes.   
Finally, Regina pulled away. “Work. Remember?”  
Emma’s face was flushed. “We’ll finish this later?”  
Regina traced the line of Emma’s top across her chest. “I think we’ve waited long enough.”  
“Henry…”  
“We can tell your parents we have to work late. I could cook us a meal…”  
“What if they call to check up on me?”  
Keeping her eyes on Emma’s chest, Regina ran her fingers along the side of Emma’s bra strap and up to her neck. “It’s a stakeout. We have to switch our phones off.”  
“Who are we watching?”  
Regina paused and just stared at Emma.  
“What? They’ll ask questions. Now they’re running the town they want updates on all the crimes and expect me to have the answers.”  
“So did I, when I was mayor.”  
“Yeah, but you had the hots for me so you let it slide.”  
Regina rolled her eyes. “Fine. Who’s been causing the most trouble recently?”  
Emma shrugged. “I’ll have to check. Since Neverland, everything has been settling down.”  
“What time should we start our ‘stakeout’?”  
“Half past five? Then I can make sure Henry’s started his homework before I leave.”  
There was a small smile from Regina at that. “I’ll have dinner ready for six o’clock, just in case you have trouble getting away.”  
“No chance. If you’re going to cook, I’ll bring dessert.”  
Regina raised an eyebrow. “I was thinking we could skip that course.”  
“Well, we might be hungry later in the evening. We don’t have to eat it right away.”  
“Now I realise where Henry gets his appetite from.”  
Emma just laughed.   
-  
Regina heard her phone beep, signalling in incoming message and tried not to drop the heavy casserole dish as she redirected herself across the kitchen. Thankfully there were heatproof mats across the different counters and she was able to find a safe place to put it while she went to check her phone. It was a text message from Emma. Her fifth that afternoon. The first had been to assure her that her parents could baby-sit Henry. The next had been to let her know that she had picked Henry up from the bus stop and was looking forward to dinner… and dessert. Another one a few minutes later let her know that Henry was working on his homework. The fourth had been to check that she had received the first few messages because Regina still hadn’t replied. Patiently Regina had typed out her reply, reminding her that she was busy preparing dinner. Of course, she had also wanted to tidy the house now that she knew Emma was coming around. Feeling nervous, she had changed the sheets on her bed and placed a few candles around the room. Then she had worried that the candles were a bad idea, where Emma was concerned they could be a potential fire hazard – the last thing they needed was the fire department turning up to put out a fire with her and Emma standing outside half-dressed. It would be front page of the Storybrooke Mirror. Instead, Regina sprayed a little of her favourite perfume around and then rummaged through her meticulously folded lingerie to find the perfect items to wear for when Emma finally saw her removing her clothes.  
The new message from Emma was to confirm that she had picked up a dessert and was on her way over. Regina looked over at the clock. Quarter to five. It looked like Emma would be on time for dinner. She text back an acknowledgment before stirring the dinner and returning it to the oven.   
-  
“I thought a light meal would be best.” Regina explained as Emma tried to hide her reaction to the food in front of her.  
“It looks great.”   
Secretly Emma was a little disappointed. She had expected Regina to cook a large, fancy meal. Okay, maybe not a full roast dinner because there hadn’t been time for that, but still…   
“Have you switched your phone off?”  
“Yes.”  
Emma dipped her spoon into the bowl. The stew, when she finally tasted it, was delicious. Not that anything Regina cooked was less than perfect. As she looked up and her eyes caught Regina’s her stomach did a little flip in anticipation. Perhaps Regina had been right. Suddenly she felt like she couldn’t eat another bite.   
“You know how you said we should skip dessert?”  
“Yes?”  
Emma laid her spoon neatly at the side of the bowl. “I think I’m full from the dinner.”  
“Emma…”  
“I really did like it, but…”  
Regina smiled as if she understood and copied Emma. “It can be reheated later.”  
“Okay, good.” Emma bit her bottom lip as she tried to figure out the best way to ask Regina if they could head up to the bedroom.  
Luckily, Regina took charge. 

Chapter 6.

Emma hesitated in the doorway to Regina’s bedroom. There were unlit candles around the room and a strong scent of apples and cinnamon. She half-expected to see rose petals scattered over the bed. Regina closed the curtains and switched on a side-lamp, turning back to face Emma when she had finished.  
“We don’t have to… if you’re not ready…”  
Emma stepped inside, closing the door behind her in reply. She wanted to speak, to explain that she was nervous, but her mouth was dry and she couldn’t remember the words. Regina smiled as if she understood and stalked across the room towards her, hips swaying to a silent rhythm. Emma watched as Regina slowly removed her clothes, making each action look natural and seductive. She knew she could never match her.   
Regina gave Emma a moment to appreciate the view, before moving closer for a kiss. While Emma was distracted, she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled down the zip, giving the top of the denim a tug to fall past Emma’s hips. Breaking away from Emma’s lips, she ran her hands under Emma’s t-shirt, inching the top up and over her now-raised arms. The t-shirt landed on the floor and Regina hooked her fingers under Emma’s bra straps, leaning in to whisper in Emma’s ear.  
“I never took you for being shy, my dear.”  
“I…”  
“Not that I mind. I’m looking forward to having your body under mine, doing all the things I’ve been fantasising about…”  
Emma blinked and realised that somehow Regina had removed her bra. Soft, warm hands cupped her breasts and Regina’s voice still echoed in her mind. Emma snapped out of her daze and reached for Regina’s waist, pulling her closer. She wanted this.   
“I want you.” She growled, leaning in to seal her words with another kiss.  
Regina inched them towards the bed, keeping their bodies pressed together, their legs brushing against each other as they struggled to walk that way. Emma moved her hands from Regina’s waist to her wrists, climbing onto the bed first and pulling the other woman on top of her.   
“Kiss me.” She told her.  
Regina grinned. Instead of kissing Emma’s lips, which the other woman was clearly expecting, she lowered her lips and brushed against her collarbone. She shifted her body further down Emma’s body and continued to lay gentle kisses on her skin. Regina took her time, enjoying the chance to explore the areas she hadn’t seen before which had been hidden by Emma’s clothes. She could almost taste Emma’s heartbeat as the other woman’s chest rose and fell with each breath.   
Emma didn’t try to rush her, so Regina took her time. Eventually though, she reached the point of no return and she lowered herself to inhale the strong scent of Emma’s arousal. She pressed a kiss to the area, darting her tongue out for a taste.   
Emma’s hands curled into the sheets as she watched Regina’s head dip between her legs. “Mmm…”  
Regina smiled. “Sorry dear, I couldn’t quite hear you. What did you say?”  
“Please…” Emma whispered the word, her mouth making a little ‘o’ as she felt Regina’s fingers search for entrance.  
“I want you to say my name as I make you come.” Regina told her, sliding in two digits and wondering if she should wait to add a third.  
Emma was wet and ready for her. She had been waiting for this for so long she struggled to contain herself.   
“Regina…”  
“I said when you come, but I love hearing my name on your lips.” Regina increased her pace and pushing in a little deeper.  
She watched Emma nod and curled her fingers. Walls clenched around her as she continued and it wasn’t long before Emma’s body was shaking on the bed. She called Regina’s name and the other woman smiled.   
“That was…” Emma searched for the right words as Regina lay down next to her a little while later.   
Regina draped an arm possessively across Emma’s stomach, curling in towards her and kissed her shoulder.   
“Was it worth the wait?” Regina asked with a smirk.  
“God, yes.” Emma brought her hands to Regina’s and entwined their fingers.   
“This is nice. I like it.”  
“Don’t get too comfy, it’s my turn to…”  
“Are we taking it in turns?” Regina interrupted her, moving her hand down Emma’s stomach and leaning in to kiss her again.  
“That’s not fair…”  
“I’ve been patient so long…”  
“Same here!” Emma’s voice caught as Regina’s fingers brushed against her closed legs.  
“Open up, darling.”  
“But I wanted to…”  
Regina kissed her again, keeping their lips together just long enough to distract Emma and ease her legs apart. Emma sighed and gave in to Regina’s touch.   
-  
Emma was spooning Regina, hugging their body’s close and stroking one hand through her shorter, dark hair. “What are you thinking about?”   
“Nothing. Just enjoying the moment. You?”  
“Nothing.”  
Emma’s stomach rumbled and Regina muffled a laugh.  
“Are you ready to eat dinner now?” Regina asked.   
“I don’t wanna leave yet. Can we stay like this a little while longer?”  
“If you like.”  
“’Gina?”  
“Yes?” She twisted her head around to look at Emma.  
“Do you think it’s time to tell people about us? I know you’re scared what Henry will say…”  
“It’s not that. I don’t mind telling Henry, I’m just worried about how everyone else will react. You’re the Saviour and I’m the Evil Queen, don’t you think…”  
“Jeez, I hate those nicknames. Can’t we just be Emma and Regina?”  
“Or Regina and Emma?” Regina smiled at the suggestion.   
“Remma? Emina? – No that sounds like a medical thing.”  
“Huh?”  
“You know, when famous couples get their names blended into one name so it’s easier to refer to them both?”  
Regina shook her head. “Sorry, I haven’t paid that much attention to those kind of things in this world. I only kept an eye on things that might affect us.”  
“Maybe I should buy you a couple of magazines… hey, did you just change the subject?”  
“Did I?”  
“So that’s a ‘no’ to telling everyone?”  
“Why don’t we start small. We’ll tell Henry first and give it some time before we tell anyone else.”  
“I think my parents will be upset if we keep it from them and they find out from someone else.”  
“If we only tell Henry, how will they find out?”  
“What if they catch me kissing you?”  
Regina frowned. “We’re always careful in public.”  
“Now that we’re working together and I see you so often it’s going to be harder.”  
“Let’s just tell Henry, okay? Then we’ll go from there.”  
“You could ask Archie for some advice.”  
“And tell him what? You know he’ll want to tell your parents.”  
“Then just say you’re seeing someone but don’t tell him it’s me.”  
“You want me to lie to the Cricket?”  
“It’s truth avoidance, not lying.”  
“Are you sure you’re the Saviour? Those words sounded a little in the grey area to me.”  
“Hey, I asked you not to call me that!”  
“You call me Gina when we’re in private, I need a name for you.”  
“Emma is fine. Or how about Em?”  
“Too much like old Aunty Em from the Wizard of Oz.”  
Emma smiled. “So you do watch Disney films.”  
That’s not Disney, it’s Warner Brothers.“  
“Are you sure?”  
“I watched it once.”  
“Once?” Emma smiled and poked Regina in the side. “That sounded a little like you meant more than once.”  
Regina squirmed as if that spot was particularly sensitive. “I liked Judy Garlands voice. When she sang the Rainbow song she sounded so sad and I could empathise with that.”  
“What did you think about the new film?”  
“New film?”  
“Ha, I knew you’d be interested.”  
“Just curious. I’ve seen a dozen different versions since that one, but they’re not quite the same.”  
“This is a Disney one.”  
“Oh, then I’m not bothered.”  
“You need to get over your dislike of Disney.”  
“When they make a film I can relate to…”  
“Exactly how many have you seen?”  
“Only the parts when I checked in on Henry watched them. I think I saw the most of 101 Dalmatians.”  
“Okay, we need to have a movie marathon of the best films so I can show you how great they are.”   
“I can think of better ways to spend our time.” Regina told her, lowering her voice and running her hand down Emma’s leg.  
Once again, Emma allowed her to change the subject. This time it was for purely selfish reasons. She kissed Regina’s shoulder and moved over her.  
“Like this?”  
As she brought her mouth over Regina’s left nipple, the other woman nodded and smiled back at her.

Chapter 7.

Regina set out three plates and dished out a pastry onto each one as Henry and Emma sat at the table.  
“What’s this?” Henry asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.   
His mother never allowed him to have sugary food on a school night unless something was wrong. He wanted to joke about it, but he was a little afraid too.   
“Emma and I need to talk to you.” Regina began, looking to her for support.  
“Yeah.” Emma nodded, deciding to cut straight to the point and her words came out in a bit of a rush. “Your mom and I, we’ve been dating. So, what do you think?”  
“Emma! I thought we were going to ease him into the idea?”  
“What?” Emma shrugged. “We’re bribing him with pastry to put him in a good mood.”  
“Henry…” Regina paused at the smile on her son’s face.  
“Well, duh. I already knew that.” Then he frowned and held up the dessert. “But I still get this, right?”  
When Regina nodded, too shocked to actually speak, he took a big bite and smiled at them. He watched as Regina came to sit in the chair next to Emma, holding her hand for support.  
“So you’re okay with this? How did you find out? We’ve been careful…”  
“Yeah,” Emma rolled her eyes. “Only kissing inside the house when you weren’t around, or in the car in deserted parking lots, then there was that time…”  
“Emma!” Regina admonished her again.   
Henry screwed up his face. “Yeah, enough already.”  
“So, how…?”  
“It was obvious, wasn’t it. Mom,” he pointed at Emma. “has been getting this goofy expression on her face…”  
“Goofy?” Emma folded her arms.  
“That’s what I heard Leroy call the look grandma and gramps get when they’re around each other or thinking about each other. ”  
Regina smiled. “Yes, I think that sums them up pretty well.”  
“And don’t think I didn’t notice how well you’ve been getting along lately. Or the fact that mom,” again, pointing at Emma. “Came out of the house after the puppy incident with a faint smudge to her lipstick. Of course, by then, I knew what to look out for.”  
“And you didn’t tell us? You let us worry about how to talk to you about it?” Emma asked.  
Henry smiled. “I figured you’d get around to it, eventually. I didn’t want to rush you. Plus, it might not have worked out. Now you’re working together, spending more time together, you might fight a lot more.”  
Both women avoided the others gaze at those words. The thought had crossed their minds and each was a little worried about it.  
“So, when are you going to tell everyone else?” Henry asked, after finishing the last bites of his pastry.   
“Not yet.” Regina replied, tightening her grip on Emma’s hand.  
“But we will eventually.” Emma added, looking at her for confirmation.  
“I’m glad. It’s been really hard keeping it a secret this far.”  
“Me too.” Emma agreed.   
Regina decided to steer them away from that topic. “Do you have any homework?”  
“Maybe.” Henry shrugged.  
Regina stared at him until he sighed and pushed his chair away from the table.  
“At least you get out of clearing away.” Emma offered.   
Henry paused in the doorway and turned around with a sly grin on his face. “Does this mean you’re moving in?”  
He didn’t wait for an answer, running up the stairs for the safety of his room. Emma dared a look at Regina. She knew Henry had only said it because he wanted this awkward silence between them, to get back at his mother mentioning his homework.   
Regina held her gaze. She could feel the warmth of Emma’s hand in hers and see the questioning look in her eyes. She spoke from her heart, wanting to know the answer.   
“Would you like to come and live here?”  
“Are you asking because Henry said that, or because you want me to?” Emma countered.  
“I was going to wait until after we told your parents, but…”  
“Oh.”  
“I’m sure they’ll understand that we want Henry settled in one place. Keeping moving him between two homes isn’t best, even if we’re just down the street from each other.”  
“Oh.” Emma’s hand slipped from Regina’s.   
“But I also want you to move in now. Emma, I lo..” Regina sought out her hand to distract Emma from the word she had almost spoken aloud. “I really like having you around. Will you at least think about it?”  
God, she needed to go back and talk to Archie. It was just one little word. She said it all the time to Henry. Why was it so hard to say to Emma, the woman she loved?   
Emma’s smile came back. “I don’t need to think about it. I want to live together; you, me and Henry. But we’re got plenty of time, if you’re not ready?”  
“I am.” Regina sealed her promise with a kiss.  
-  
She used her cell to call Archie’s office.   
“Good afternoon, Regina.” She could hear Archie smiled as he greeted her. “Is this official business, or perhaps you have some questions about the puppies?”  
“Neither. I… I have a personal matter I need your help with. If I could just make an appointment…”  
“No problem. When did you have in mind?”  
“As soon as possible.”  
“I have a space available this afternoon…” He sounded a little concerned now.  
“Perfect. What time?”  
He gave her the time, pencilling it into his book and listened to the line go dead as she hung up.   
-  
Regina looked over her shoulder as she pushed open the outer door to Archie’s office. She saw Ruby standing by the diner window, watching her. Turning away, Regina climbed the stairs, allowing the door to close behind her.  
Emma had given her the afternoon off, after she finished typing up the scrawled paper notes in the case files on her desk. She did feel a little guilty that she had lied about her plans for the afternoon, but going to see Archie felt like some kind of weakness. As though she couldn’t cope with her problems on her own.   
A few steps up and she was remembering those thoughts, but she also remembered the way Emma had looked at her when she said she loved her. Wanting to be able to say those words back kept Regina’s legs moving up the stairs.   
“Come on in.” Archie waved towards the furniture as if inviting her to sit down. “Would you like something to drink?”  
Would he mind if she said she wanted her apple cider?  
“Please.”   
Regina sat and watched Archie pour two cups of tea before passing her and cup and taking his usual seat. He was trying to look casual, but she knew he was curious as to why she was there.  
“How are things working out with Emma?” He asked when she didn’t speak. “You mentioned in our last session that you’re still spending time with Henry...”  
“I’m seeing someone.” She interrupted, staring into her cup. “Romantically.”  
Regina looked up and caught the surprise on his face, though he quickly tried to hide it. She sighed and placed her tea on a little wooden table. Archie’s notepad was untouched on the arm of his chair.   
“Can I ask who…”  
“No.” Regina shook her head.   
“You can trust me to keep everything you say here confidential.”  
She didn’t respond to that statement. “I don’t even know if this is something you can help me with. I mean, it’s been going really well, we’re taking things slow… well, sort of.”   
“That’s good. With everything that’s happened, I understand why you would want to…”  
“But now we’re at the point where we tell each other… where we say ‘I love you’ and I’m having trouble getting the words out.”  
“Do you love them?”  
“Yes, of course! I know I do but for some reason something’s stopping me from voicing those words.” Regina stood up and walked to the window in frustration. “That’s why I’ve come to you. You have to help me understand why I can’t say them.”  
“Perhaps you’re afraid.”  
“Afraid?”  
“How many people have you told that you loved them? And meant it?”  
It didn’t take long for Regina to count them. “Four. Five, if you count my horse.”  
“Your parents, Daniel and Henry I assume?”  
“Yes.”  
“Each time, something has happened to cause you heartache, right? You killed your father, your mother killed Daniel and Henry went to look for Emma. I think you’re scared that something might happen this time if you say those words, but you shouldn’t fear love.”  
“I don’t, otherwise I wouldn’t be in the relationship.”  
“The subconscious it’s always rational. This person you’re seeing, do they… have you spoken to them about your past?”  
“They know everything. Even if they didn’t know me personally in the old world, Storybrooke is a small town and since the curse broke one thing after another has led to much of my life becoming public knowledge.”  
“Are they pressuring you to confirm your feelings?”  
“No.” Regina turned away from the window. “But I want to.”  
“Have you practiced saying it? Not just in your head, but out loud, perhaps to a mirror.”  
Regina wanted to laugh. “I tried to write it down in a note, but my hand was shaking so badly I didn’t get past the ‘L’. Maybe I’m not supposed to be in love. After everything I did, trying to keep Snow White from her True Love and ordering the deaths of all those people…”  
“Everyone gets a chance at happiness. Only those who don’t take it regret it. Have you wondered if the cause is magical?”  
“Of course, but the only person I could question is Rumplestiltskin and he would only help me in exchange for the persons name. I’m not ready to share that yet.”  
“Well, I can only suggest that you consider why you’re hiding this romance. That may be part of the problem.”  
“If I can’t tell… this person I love them, what chance do I have to convince anyone else?”  
Henry had been convinced, she reminded herself.  
The floorboard outside Archie’s office creaked and Regina looked up at the clock on the wall. “I guess my time’s up.”  
“If you come back tomorrow…”  
“You won’t have any new suggestions…” She stood up and passed him her half-full cup.  
“I still think it might help to talk about it.”  
“I have work. Thank you for trying.”  
Regina left, ignoring Archie’s waiting client and headed down the stairs. She caught Ruby’s gaze as she left the diner and wondered why the wolf-girl cared so much about her visits to the cricket.

Chapter 8.

Emma had her elbows on the desk, head propped up on one hand, as she stared at the computer screen. Regina smiled as she walked past and brushed her fingers along the back of Emma’s neck to get her attention. Emma’s head turned as she reached for Regina’s hand.   
“Morning gorgeous.” She smiled, kissing her deputy’s fingers.  
Regina smiled back, bending low to return the kiss on Emma’s lips. “What are you working on?”  
“Some new report my parents want submitted. They’re worse than you were. I already send them the information but they want everything duplicated in three different…”  
“Then don’t do it.”  
“What?”  
“Submit the one report and get their people to copy it. They have secretaries, we don’t.”  
Emma frowned. “Would that work?”  
“Not when I was mayor, but these are your parents. If you have to, play the daughter card.”  
Laughing, Emma pushed her chair away from the desk and stood up. “You’re right. Why not? That leaves me free to get on with other work.”  
“Anything I can help with yet? Or do you think this extra paperwork is their way of keeping me tied to a desk?”  
“Mmm, now there’s a thought.” Emma grinned.   
Tutting, Regina shook her head. “Not in the office, dear.”   
“Fine. To answer your earlier question, yes you can help me. I have to run some errands, do you mind staying to answer the phones?”  
Regina sighed and moved over to her own desk. “You have an answering machine, you know.”  
“I promise, I won’t be gone long.”  
“When are we going back to the shooting range?”  
Emma smiled as she stood, tucking her car keys into her pocket. “Still determined to get your licence?”  
“Afraid of the competition? Maybe I should get seniority because I’ve lived here longer.”  
“I’ve been Sheriff longer.” Emma reminded her. “But if you’re good and mind the office for me I promise to take you back to the shooting range.”  
“When?”  
“Tomorrow?”  
“Henry has practice. You promised to go and watch.”  
“We can go during lunch.”  
“Let me come with you now and I’ll buy you lunch.” Regina countered.  
Emma laughed, walking over to her desk. “Tomorrow, we’ll definitely find you something to get you out of the office and doing Sheriff-y work.”  
“Promise?”  
Emma leant down and kissed Regina. “Cross my heart.”  
-  
She hadn’t expected her parents to include other people in their meeting. Blue, Grumpy and Archie were all sitting around their office and Granny came in the door shortly after Emma arrived.   
“What’s going on?” She asked.  
“Council meeting.” Granny told her, settling down and getting her latest knitting project from her handbag.  
Emma was confused. “Uh, you guys aren’t on the council.”  
“No,” Snow explained, pointing Emma towards an empty chair. “Everyone here was part of our council back home. Marco is going to be late though, so we should get started.”  
“If this is about my lunch break the other day, I made up the time…”  
Snow laughed. “No, it’s not about you.”  
“Oh, good.”  
“It’s about Regina.”  
“She’s settling in well at work.” Emma assured her, avoiding taking a seat by gripping the back of the chair.  
“But how long will this act last?” Grumpy asked.   
“We don’t know that it’s an act.” Archie reminded him. “She’s had 28 years to kill Snow White, and since she got Henry, well we all have the memories.”  
“I still don’t trust her.”  
“I do.” Emma interrupted him.   
Grumpy sneered at her. “You don’t know her. You’ve only been here…”  
“Let the girl speak.” Granny told him.  
“But…”  
“Guys…” David rapped on the table to get their attention, and then smiled at his wife. “You were saying?”  
“Thank you.” She placed her hand over his and beamed around at them all. “We are here to discuss Regina. I understand that you all have valid points to make, and we will listen to them all.”  
“Kick her out of town.” Grumpy spoke quietly, assuming Emma would be the only one able to hear him.  
Granny tapped his head with her handbag – the knitting was too delicate to risk. Emma choked back a laugh. Snow frowned disapprovingly.   
“Now, where were we?” Archie tried to get them back on track. “Snow thinks we should make some preparations just in case Regina… relapses.”  
Emma raised an eyebrow at his choice of words.   
“Like a nuclear bunker?” Grumpy asked, his head twitching as he watched Granny for a second attack.  
“No, but a way home which leaves her here in exile…”  
“You want to abandon her.” Emma folded her arms.   
“If the Evil Queen re-emerges… surely you want to keep Henry safe?” David pleaded with her to understand.  
“Henry and I are staying here, end of story. I don’t want to go to the Enchanted Forest, I want to raise him here, whether that means Storybrooke, Boston, New York or somewhere else in the States.”  
“But you’d be a Princess.” Snow sounded shocked.  
“Whatever your plans are to return home, you’ll have to make them without me.” Emma stood up. “I’m sorry, it’s just the way I feel.”  
They watched her leave. Only Granny didn’t look shocked, she had bent her head back over her knitting and added another row of neat loops to the wool.  
-  
Emma tried to distract herself over dinner. She couldn’t tell Regina what was wrong.   
“School was fine.” Henry tried, realising that his mothers weren’t paying attention.  
“Hmm?”  
“Yeah,” he smiled to himself. “After lunch we went to the library to visit the dragon and the teacher sacrificed one of the kids…”  
“That’s good.” Regina pushed the remains of her food around the plate, before snapping out of her daze and looking across at Emma. “Have you thought any more about…moving in?”  
Henry grinned. “You asked her?”  
“Yes.” Regina looked at Emma. “I know we haven’t told anyone else about us yet…”  
Emma bit her lip. Perhaps she should have mentioned it at her parents little meeting earlier. Of course, letting Grumpy be one of the first to know didn’t really appeal to her.   
“If you want to keep taking things slow…” Regina prompted.  
Emma looked at Henry then back at Regina. “Could we talk after dinner?”  
“I’ve finished.” Henry pointed out. “So has mom.”  
With a sigh, Emma lay down her knife and fork. “Henry, d’you mind giving us some privacy?”  
“If it’s a no, you can say in front of me.”  
“Henry, please…”  
“Henry…”  
Faced with two mothers, Henry rolled his eyes and pushed his chair away from the table. “Fine.”  
Emma listened to his footsteps grow fainter on the stairs, before looking at Regina. “I do want to move in.”  
“Why couldn’t you say that in front of our son?” Regina smiled.   
“Because…” Emma bit her lip. “We still haven’t told my parents.”  
Regina looked relieved. It wasn’t a simple problem, but it was better than a rejection.   
“Why don’t we invite them over for dinner?”  
“It’s not a good time for them at the moment, they’ll still getting into running the town and…”  
“Emma, if you’re not ready to move in…”  
“I am.” She stood up and walked around the table to Regina. “Really.”  
“I’d understand…”  
“I love you.” Emma told her, leaning down to kiss her.   
Regina raised her hands and ran her fingers through Emma’s hair. She wondered if she was just prolonging the kiss to avoid saying the words back to her. Maybe Archie was right and it was her fear.   
“So when do you want to tell them?”

Chapter 9.

Snow looked nervous when she entered the Sheriff’s station. Regina was sitting alone at her desk, an open book in her hands and a half-eaten sandwich on the table in front of her. Snow cleared her throat to get her attention. Regina finished reading to the end of the paragraph, marked her place with a bookmark and placed the book down in front of her.   
“Emma isn’t here right now…”  
“I came to see you.”  
Making a quick assessment of the woman in front of her, and remembering that she would have to be polite in preparation for revealing her relationship with Emma, Regina smiled.  
“How can I help you?”  
“I came to see what your intentions are.”  
Regina’s heartbeat picked up, but she tried not to let her anxiety show. Snow couldn’t know. Please… she couldn’t do this without Emma at her side.   
“Emma thinks you can change… have changed, in fact.” Snow continued, unaware of Regina’s discomfort. “She trusts you and so does Henry.”  
“I would never do anything to hurt them.”  
“I want to believe you, but you’ve had so many chances…”  
“I never had a reason before.”   
“I know you want to be part of Henry’s family…”  
“I am his family, I’m his mother… and so is Emma. I’m willing to share him.”   
Snow smiled. “I know. I’ve been discussing this with David and I…we…we want to show our support.”  
“You do?” She asked cautiously, wondering who had revealed their secret.  
“We think that the rest of the town might be able to see that you’ve moved on if…”  
“If by the ‘rest of the town’ you mean your little dwarf friends I doubt that anything will change their opinion of me.”  
Snow’s smiled faltered, but she bravely brought it back. “I haven’t forgotten the past, but I still remember the Regina I first met. I know you’re trying to be her again. We wanted to ask if you would like to be part of our family. I know, it’s silly because we’re all adults now but you were my step-mother and now you’re Henry’s… so I know if anything ever happened to David or I and we weren’t around that you’d take care of them…”  
Regina felt as though Snow had pushed her back in time through a portal. She remembered the day in the forest, when she had been disguised as a peasant girl, and listening to Snow talking about her the same way. That day hadn’t brought about a happy reunion. Snow had discovered how far Regina was willing to go to find her and realised how dark her heart had become.   
“I know it’s a big decision, but I’d like you to think about it. I’m sure Henry would like it if we could all spend time together.”  
God, Snow was still rambling on. Regina wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. How would Snow react now to learning about her relationship with Emma?  
“Regina?”  
“I’m fine.” She replied automatically.  
Snow took a small step forward, then another. When she was close enough to Regina, she leant forwards and gave her an awkward hug around her shoulders. Regina froze, too startled to hug her back or pull away.  
“I’ll give you some time.”   
Regina watched her leave. The clock on the wall continued to tick away as she sat there. She was still sitting that way when Emma returned.  
“That’s the last time I accept a call from…” Emma stopped as she noticed the look on Regina’s face. “What happened?”  
“Your mother stopped by.”  
“Did she say something to upset you?”  
Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts. “She was… she…”  
“Damn, does she know…?”  
“No.”  
Emma wondered if it had something to do with returning to the Enchanted Forest. Had they told Regina they were leaving her behind? She wanted to assure her that she and Henry would be staying and not to worry.  
“She said she knows I’m trying to change. She wants…”  
“That’s great!” Emma beamed. “It makes it so much easier for us now, we can tell them and…”  
“No. We can’t.”  
“I thought you wanted…”  
“They think we can be a family again.”  
“We will be… we are.”  
“No, I mean the way it used to be. She looked at me as though she could trust me, the way she used to look at me when she was a child and I…”  
“Is that what you want? You’re choosing her over me?”  
“No.” Regina pushed away from the desk and walked over to Emma. “No.”  
“Then what is it?” Emma waited for Regina to explain.  
“I think we should try this. Perhaps if we spend time together they’ll be more likely to accept us being together. They’ll see…”  
Emma shook her head. She couldn’t understand why it was so important to Regina. All she had heard suggested Regina hated Snow, and now she wanted to play happy families with her?   
“So I guess this means I’m not moving in.” Emma said, turning to hide the disappointed look on her face.  
“Yet.” Regina insisted, coming up beside her until their arms brushed together. “I just want a little more time…”  
“Either she can accept you with me or she can’t. A few family picnics won’t change that.”  
“Emma…” Regina watched the blonde’s eyes move to look at her.   
“You’d better tell Henry.”  
“Can we talk about this?”  
“Later.” Emma shook her head. “I have to get back to work.”  
She headed into her office, shutting the door behind her. Regina sat down at her desk, her eyes sliding to the closed door every few minutes. Emma was still in there when it was time for her to leave and collect Henry from the bus stop.   
Regina sent her a text to let her know she was leaving. Emma didn’t reply.

Chapter 10.

Breaking the news to Henry wasn’t easy. Regina put it off until they were home and he was unpacking his school bag. She knocked on the door to his room, even though it was open and walked inside before he could invite her in.  
“Emma’s not moving in, is she?” He asked, without turning around.  
“It’s complicated.”  
“But she said she would.”  
“We’ve decided it’s best if we wait a while longer. We want to give people time to get used to us being together first.”  
“We? Does that mean you or her?”  
“Henry…”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“Not everyone will understand…”  
“So, who matters most? Mom or them?”  
“Emma, of course.”  
“Then why…”  
“People still need time to see us together, we don’t want to rush into things. You’ll understand when…”  
“If you say when I’m older…”  
Regina put her hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry.”  
Henry let out a deep breath. “So how much longer?”  
“I don’t know.”  
-  
When Snow’s first ‘family dinner’ invite came through, Regina was so nervous. She spent an entire day thinking about nothing else. She worried about what to wear, what to say to them. What if Henry or Emma said or did something to let them know what had been going on? What if she did or said something to mess up this second chance?  
Luckily it was Henry’s night with her so he walked with her to Snow’s and knocked on the door. She reminded him in the house and again on the way that Snow didn’t know and her relationship with Emma. It wouldn’t be fair to bring it up now. He said he understood. Emma had given him the same talk.  
Snow’s greeting for the grandson she had seen only the day before gave Regina a chance to get inside and take a look around. She didn’t see Emma. Charming, however, was standing in the kitchen area, setting a plate of freshly baked cookies on the side. Regina shrugged off her coat before Snow could offer to take it.   
“Welcome, welcome.” Snow finally spoke when Henry had disentangled himself from her hug.   
She smiled at Regina, her hands coming up as if to offer her a hug, but her smile faltered as if realising that Regina might not accept it and one hand dropped back to her side. Regina gazed at the one hand she was still holding out, then shook it. As her hand touched Snow’s, the younger woman seemed to relax and her smile brightened again. When Regina looked around, Henry was already sitting on one of the stools in front of his grandfather, smiling with a half-eaten cookie in one hand.   
“How have you been?” Regina tried to start the conversation as Snow led her towards the sofa.   
“Good. David still misses working with Emma, but we’re keeping busy. I’m going to visit the school next week and see how Belle is getting along. How are you finding your new job?”  
“Emma’s keeping me busy with paperwork.”  
Snow laughed. “Yes, the reports have certainly been improving recently.”  
Henry stayed where he was as David kept him talking and didn’t remove the plate from the counter. Snow had sat down opposite Regina.  
“Will Emma be joining us?” Regina asked looking around.  
Snow shook her head. “Unfortunately she’s got to work.”  
Regina was surprised Snow wasn’t suspicious at her question. She had no idea what Emma was using as her excuse to stay away. There wasn’t anything urgent at the moment. It was just Emma’s way of evading her. Again.   
Since the text asking her to cover shifts at certain hours this week, Emma had managed to stay out of the office and avoid seeing her. Regina knew she was hurt and she didn’t know how to fix it without risking her second chance with Snow. She had already booked an appointment with Archie for the morning. Hopefully he could help her figure it all out.  
“So what’s for dinner?” Henry finally came to join them after David removed his temptation from remaining near the kitchen.  
“Roast dinner. The full works.” David promised as he followed him over. “Should be ready in about half an hour.”  
Regina wished Emma was there. Half an hour of conversation with her ex-stepdaughter for the first time in decades wasn’t going to be easy. She reminded herself that it was a first step. Like trying to be good for Henry. It would be hard at first, but she could do it.   
If only Emma was there to support her.  
-  
Pongo came and took up his customary position, placing his head on Regina’s knee as she sat down. Archie smiled and adjusted his glasses.  
“Lovely morning today, isn’t it?”  
“I had dinner with Snow and Charming last night. Henry was there. She wants to give me a chance to be part of their family again.” Regina rushed out the words, her hand stroking Pongo to try and calm herself.  
“Oh.” Archie didn’t look too surprised at the news, and Regina wondered if this was something Snow had already discussed with him. “How did it go?”  
“It was uncomfortable at first. I kept expecting her to mention the past, but she talked about the town and Henry so…”  
“That’s good.”  
“Except that it’s messed up the relationship I was telling you about. I tried to slow things down, to focus on this thing with Snow and… I don’t know. Now everything’s… I just don’t know what to do. Did I make the right choice?”  
“Slow down, go back a minute. Why should this affect your relationship?”  
“Because…” Regina tried to remember her rehearsed excuse. “I said I needed to set more time aside from the relationship to spend with Snow. The relationship had been progressing so fast, we were thinking about moving in together…”  
“Before you said you loved them?” Archie interrupted.  
Regina nodded. “Everything else was perfect. We’d told Henry, in fact he brought up the subject before I could as if they wanted to move in.”  
Now Archie was interested. That bit of information certainly narrowed down the list of suspects, though he had already one candidate in mind as the favourite. He indicated to Regina that she should continue.  
“Then Snow made her offer…”  
“And you don’t think she would accept you having this other person as part of your life? Do you think she would make the relationship difficult for you?”  
“It’s not just that.” Regina leant forward and placed a kiss on top of Pongo’s head, giving herself a little more time to reply. “I need to show Snow and everyone that I can change. Henry needs to see a happy family and I know in the past we’ve both done things to hurt the other but she made the offer… I only asked for a little more time.”  
Archie smiled at her. “And this other person didn’t understand? Did you try and explain?”  
“Yes, of course…”  
“If you had to choose again, right now, what is it that you want most of all? Not Henry, pretend he isn’t in the picture at all, but Snow or this other relationship?”  
Regina returned his smile. She knew the answer. She just wasn’t sure how to convince Emma.  
“Then you need to sit down and have a proper talk with them. Even if you’re not ready to introduce them to Snow, you should mention that you’re in a relationship. Maybe build up a friendship by asking for advice; you don’t have to say who it is but make her feel part of your life. I think she would like that. As to this other person…”  
“I want to say ‘I love you’ and I’ve been trying to…”  
“You can’t avoid heartache forever. Admitting your feelings or not, the pain will be just as great if something goes wrong. Saying it out loud to them, perhaps…perhaps they’re just as scared as you are and this will let them know that you feel the same way.” He smiled as he remembered Emma’s similar visit and part of him hoped they could both get past their fears. “Keep trying. I have faith in you.”  
“I think you’re on your own there.”  
“If you want to practice some more, why not try it on Pongo? You seem comfortable with him and he certainly likes you.”  
Regina laughed and just continued to stroke the Dalmatian’s fur. 

Chapter 11.

At first Regina thought the station was empty. She couldn’t hear the blasting of Emma’s usual radio programme so she relaxed and went to her desk as normal. There was no paperwork waiting for her. She checked her messages, in case Emma had left her some other work to do.   
Nothing.   
Regina hated the idea of just sitting around twiddling her thumbs and doing nothing so she wandered into the kitchen area and boiled some water to make coffee. It would give her the strength to take a look in the filing cabinets. Knowing the blonde’s dislike of paperwork she worried about what she would find, but organising might keep her mind busy enough…  
Regina frowned as a familiar ring tone sounded nearby. She looked around, trying to gauge the direction and followed it towards Emma’s office. The door was slightly ajar and she peered inside just as the call cut off. Emma was sitting in her chair, head down on her arms, which were resting atop her desk. The blonde locks looked duller, flatter and Regina couldn’t help Emma’s name from escaping her lips.  
Emma stirred at the sound of Regina’s voice. She looked up and rubbed at her face as though she had been sleeping. Regina saw the redness around her eyes and stepped closer, but Emma spoke first.   
“What happened to knocking?”  
“Sorry. Emma, I wanted to talk to you…”  
“How did the meal go with my parents?”  
“I missed you.”  
Emma looked around at the files on her desk. “There’s not much work to do today. If you want you can go through the…”  
“More paperwork?” Regina raised an eyebrow.   
“When you were mayor…”  
“You didn’t make David do it all.”  
Looking up, Emma folded her arms. “Yeah well, I liked an excuse to come and visit you, remember?”  
“Of course.”  
“Maybe now you can use it as an excuse to spend time with Snow?”  
“Look, I came to talk about that…”  
“You’ve made your choice. There’s nothing else to discuss.”  
“So what? That’s it?”  
“What else do you expect me to say?”  
“I hoped you would listen to me.”  
“I don’t want to hear anything else about it. You can have your time with my parents, just don’t expect me to join in and pretend you’re part of the family that way. Not after everything that happened between us.”  
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re too important to me.”  
“But not as important as Snow, right?”  
“No! Emma, don’t you see, I just…”  
“You know what Regina? I don’t care anymore.”  
“What?”  
Emma shook her head. “Just go. I don’t think I can stand to be around you now.”  
“Do you want me to resign?” Regina hated to ask, but there was a pain gathering in her chest at Emma’s words.   
“You would have done it eventually.” Emma whispered as she looked away and Regina barely caught her next words. “Everyone always leaves.”   
Regina crossed to Emma’s desk before the blonde could react and put her hands on Emma’s shoulders, forcing her to look up. “I came to tell you I choose you. If you want me to stay I will. If you tell me to go I will. It’s your choice.”  
“Huh?” Emma gaped at her, brain still processing the words.  
“I love you Emma. You mean more to me than Snow or anyone else. You and Henry are the only family I need or want.”  
“Can you say that again?”  
“What?” Regina sounded irritated as she waited impatiently for Emma to tell her to stay or go.  
“That first part. When you said you…” Emma mouthed the word ‘love’ as though unsure if she had heard correctly.  
Regina swallowed, allowing her own words to sink in. Slowly she released Emma and crouched down in front of her, wanting her to see that she was sincere. Suddenly she wasn’t afraid.  
“I love you.” She almost laughed at how easy it was, but kept her face serious. “I know I hurt you before and I am so sorry. I hate that I did that. I love you.”  
Emma seemed to launch herself out of the chair as she fell forwards, wrapping her arms around Regina’s neck and kissing her. Regina wasn’t prepared for the impact and didn’t brace herself so she ended up backed against the wall, with Emma on top of her. When Emma apologised laughing and made to move away, Regina reached out and held her close, kissing the top of Emma’s head as the younger woman rested it against her. She slid down the wall, stretching out her legs to make sitting on the floor more comfortable. Emma shifted slightly to help.  
“I missed you. I missed this.”  
“It’s only been a couple of days.”  
“What made you change your mind about Snow?” Emma asked, as Regina reached out to brush some hair away from her eyes.  
“I’ve been talking to Dr Hopper, trying to work through some things. I think it helped having…”  
“Did you tell him about us?”  
“Not who you are. Just that there was someone…and he asked me what I wanted most.”  
“And you chose me.” Emma sighed happily and closed her eyes.  
“Yes.”  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Regina stroking Emma’s hair. When the phone rang it startled them both, but Emma let it go to the answering machine. Hearing Henry’s voice, they both felt guilty but he sounded cheerful so they weren’t worried. He left a message asking permission to go to a friend’s house after school and said he’d try their cell phones.  
“That’ll be yours first.” Regina warned her.  
“Not necessarily.”  
“He’s knows you’ll say yes, then he’ll call me to tell me you’ve already agreed to it.”  
Emma frowned. “Do you want me to say no? I don’t like the idea that he’d use me like that. Especially when he’s supposed to be with you today.”  
“Let him go this time. We can talk about it later. For now, I just want to spend the time with you.”  
Emma nodded, answering her cell when Henry rang. She recognised the number as the one Regina had given him for emergencies. He was supposed to leave it in his locker, switched off, until the end of the school day. She didn’t mention it, but decided to have a talk with him when she saw him. When Regina took her own call a few moments later, Emma held her free hand, smiling conspiratorially at her as Regina accepted Henry’s request.  
“It’s probably too early for lunch, but I haven’t had breakfast. Do you want to come with me to the diner?” Emma offered when the room was silent again.  
“I could make you something.”  
“Avoiding the diner?”  
“Giving us some privacy to talk. I’m sure Dr Hopper would advise it.”  
“Perhaps we should go and see him together?” Emma teased her.  
“Maybe. I want this to work, I want us Emma but I know it won’t be easy. Hopefully he can help.”  
She knew telling Emma she loved her was just the tip of the iceberg. There were too many things in her past that could come between them if she didn’t keep working to battle them.  
“Your place will be fine. I should probably go home and change first, I didn’t want to wake anyone at the loft when I left and just chucked on the nearest clothes.”  
“Tell me you didn’t sleep here last night?”  
“No, but I couldn’t sleep there so I came in really early… I may have closed my eyes for a few moments…”  
“So you were sleeping when I arrived.”  
“Resting my eyes.” Emma corrected her, standing and offering to help Regina up.  
Regina chuckled as she accepted Emma’s assistance and kept hold of her hand as they walked through the station. “So, what would you like for breakfast?”

Chapter 12.

Regina insisted on letting Emma shower at her place, rather than detouring to the loft, and offering to share her own clothes with the blonde. She cooked breakfast while Emma was otherwise occupied and tried not to picture the scene upstairs.   
Emma had finished eating long ago, but now they were sitting together on the sofa, just enjoying the others presence. Regina had an arm around Emma’s shoulders, the younger woman’s head resting against hers.  
“When do we make an appointment with Archie?” Emma asked, breaking the silence.  
“Before we tell your mother.”  
“Hopefully he can suggest ways that won’t give her a heart attack.”  
Regina laughed. “I’m sure that will be the reaction from most of the town. We might need to give the hospital a heads-up.”  
“And we need to tell Henry. Again.”  
“We’ll do it together. Maybe another family meal?”  
At those words, both women felt their hearts beat a little faster. The idea of being part of a family was so important to them in their own ways.   
“We’ll invite them all here… if that’s okay with you?” Regina asked, knowing that she would feel better in her own territory.   
“Sure. I love your cooking.” Emma teased, craning her neck up to look at Regina.  
“Perhaps you could move in once we’ve told them…”  
“That night?”  
“If you want.”  
“I want.” Emma confirmed, reaching out to kiss her.  
“Good.” Regina’s arm slipped to Emma’s waist as the blonde moved to straddle her. “Me too.”  
“Do you think the mayor would mind if I skipped work today?” Emma asked slowly unbuttoning Regina’s blouse.   
“Won’t it look suspicious if we’re both off?” Regina tugged at the hem of Emma’s t-shirt, waiting patiently for her turn to remove some clothing.  
“Then we’d best have the meal soon.” Emma pressed her lips along Regina’s neck, her hands wandering lower along soft skin.  
“I can call Dr Hopper and see when he’s free.”  
“Mmm…”   
“Today, perhaps?” Regina smiled, wondering if Emma was listening to her.  
“Whatever you want.”  
“Okay… I’ll try him now.”  
“What?” Emma grabbed Regina’s hands as they released her t-shirt, looking surprised when Regina laughed.  
“I was joking.”  
“Really? You think that was funny?” Emma grinned back, releasing her and tickling her stomach.  
Regina immediately began laughing, unable to help it now. “Sss…ssstop. I give...”  
Emma raised an eyebrow as she moved her hands to Regina’s sides and found the ticklishness continued. “I can’t believe you’re so ticklish.”  
“Please… Emma…”  
Counting to three, Emma finally released her victim and smiled down at her. “How did I not realise this sooner?”  
“No-one else knows.” Regina struggled to catch her breath.  
“Yeah, I guess trying to tickle the mayor wasn’t a priority for the Storybrooke residents.”  
While Emma was distracted with her thoughts Regina snuck her hands under the blonde’s t-shirt in an attempt to retaliate. “What about you?”   
To her immense disappointment, Emma just sat there, a smirk on her face. “Oh, I’m not ticklish.” Emma leant in and then whispered in Regina’s ear, “Except in one place.”  
“Well there’s no rush. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to find it.” Regina whispered back to her, using the time to raise Emma’s t-shirt further up.   
\-   
Regina checked her watch as she sat on the couch in Archie’s office. Emma was late. She hadn’t mentioned any names, just told him that she wanted to discuss the possibility of couple’s therapy. She was so nervous that she didn’t realise Pongo wasn’t in the room.   
“I’m so sorry.” Emma’s voice burst through from the waiting room, shortly before she entered the office without knocking.  
Archie looked up, a little shocked at her actions. “Miss Swan, I’m with someone…”  
Emma smiled at she saw Regina and passed Archie Pongo’s lead, barely looking at the therapist. “He was at the park chasing birds again. I think you need to consider a tracking device for his collar.”  
“Thank you for finding him, but…” Archie gulped down his next words as Emma went to sit down next to Regina.   
Both women smiled nervously back at him. He watched as Emma laced her fingers through Regina’s, staring until Pongo tugged him forwards. Archie dropped the lead and turned to close the door, taking the time to compose himself. He smiled as he remembered the first time he suspected Regina was talking about Emma. Back then he had dismissed the idea as nothing more than his imagination. In the later sessions though, the ex-Queen had begun to let slip little clues that made it harder to ignore.   
“So, how much longer until the puppies are ready?” Emma asked, trying to break the ice.  
“Don’t you think we have enough to plan without adding a dog into our lives?” Regina interrupted.  
“You said that you thought Henry was ready…”  
“That was before I asked you to move in….”  
“Then you’ll have one more adult around to help out…”  
Regina let out a short ‘ha’ at her words, then after a moments consideration added: “Plus now that we’re both working there would be no-one at home to look after it… though I suppose once your mother finds out about us that problem may be solved.”  
“She won’t fire you. She can’t, not for that.”  
“You’re her daughter and I’m…. me. We’d be lucky if that is her only reaction.”  
Archie quickly cleared his throat, wanting them to remember he was still in the room. “Ladies.”  
Two heads turned towards his voice and he gave them a nervous smile. Taking his usual seat, he decided against picking up his notebook and instead sat back in the chair and spoke directly to them. Pongo had settled in his basket, deciding that no-one needed him and tired from his morning escapade. He chose to answer Emma’s earlier question first.  
“You still have plenty of time to make a decision about a puppy. I’m sure that’s not why you’re here, so why don’t we focus on that now. Regina, you mentioned wanting to start couples therapy sessions…”  
“With Emma.” Regina explained, as though it wasn’t already clear.   
“Yes, right. Emma how do you feel about that?”  
“Okay, I guess. I mean, I understand why Regina thinks we need your help – now, anyway – but I don’t think we need to make it a permanent thing.”  
Archie smiled. “I certainly hope not, but maybe I can give you a hand with these early days and some advice to get you through the future.”

Chapter 13.

Regina sat at the bus stop waiting for Henry, watching the familiar cars passing slowly down the road. She had wanted to let him find out about them at the meal with Snow White, but Emma had wanted her to tell Henry before then. This way they could pack their things in preparation for after the meal.   
She was a little nervous, hoping he wouldn’t let the last disappointment affect his reaction. Emma had been called back to work so she was meeting him from the school bus and taking him home. When they told Archie their plan, he had suggested taking things slowly and tried to explain that rushing into such a big step in their relationship would only put more pressure on each of them. Regina knew he was only trying to help them, but she couldn’t face the idea of hurting Emma again. She told him that she wasn’t going to change her mind, but that would appreciate it if he would still help them. Emma’s hand had gripped hers a little tighter at the words, and she turned her head to check that Emma was okay.   
The creaking of the school bus’ brakes alerted her to its arrival and the relieved hiss of the door opening released the students. She stood up, checking the windows for signs of Henry and followed his progress along the aisle, preparing a smile for when he reached her.   
“What’s wrong?” Henry paused at the open doors, blocking the bottom step.   
“Nothing.”  
With a nod of relief, Henry stepped off the bus and headed towards her. “I thought Emma was picking me up?”   
“She had to work, but she’ll meet us for dinner later.”  
“Huh? I thought you guys were….” He bit his bottom lip as Regina shook her head, leading them towards her car.   
Sensing that he shouldn’t ask any more questions until they were at the mansion, Henry filled the silence with random chatter about school and his homework. Regina listened, replying when needed and tried to keep her mind on the road as she drove. Blurting out that she was back together with Emma and they were going to be living together wasn’t part of the plan but she wanted to get it over with. She needed to know how Henry felt about it, yet she was worried he wouldn’t think it was a good idea. That was why she braked a little harder than normal as she pulled up at the house. She quickly checked Henry, to make sure he was fine, then rushed them inside.  
“What’s going on?” He asked, dropping his school bag on the ground.  
“Are you hungry? Would you like something to drink?”  
“Mom…”  
Regina sighed and stepped out of her shoes. “At least come into the other room.”  
Henry followed her and sat down when she asked. Regina began by reminding him that she loved him, then began to explain that she and Emma had sat down and talked, really talked, about how they felt. With a side-note that they had agreed to see Dr Hopper to have someone help explore their fears and past, she moved on to tell him that they were back together and ready to tell everyone else.   
“Okay.”  
“How do you feel about that?”  
Henry bit his bottom lip, the same way Emma did when she was really thinking about something. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if everyone’s reaction makes you want to split up again?”  
“I can’t guarantee anything Henry. Life doesn’t work that way, but Emma and I want to try. That’s why we’re going to see Dr Hopper, to help us.”  
“Do I have to go too?”  
“To therapy? No, it’s just for Emma and I.”  
“When are you going to tell them?”  
“Tomorrow. Emma is inviting her parents to dinner here and then afterwards you’re both going to be living here, permanently… if that’s what you want.”  
Henry smiled at her. “Of course I do.”  
Regina smiled; relief making her shoulder relax a little. “Emma suggested you start getting a few things ready tonight, setting them aside ready to pack properly tomorrow. She’ll teleport them over before the meal and then you won’t need to carry them.”  
“It is so that grams and gramps don’t realise?”  
“It will just make things easier.” Regina assured him. “That’s why tonight it will only be the three of us, so we can talk.”  
“What if they fire you from your job?”  
“Emma’s the Sheriff and I know from experience that it’s hard to fire the Deputy, but if they do…” Regina shrugged. “I’m sure I can find something else to keep me occupied.”  
-  
She had caved the night before, allowing Henry and Emma to order pizza, but tonight was important. Regina went shopping early in the morning, before her shift was due to begin. She wanted to try and make things go right, mostly for Emma and Henry’s sake, but also because she realised there was a chance Snow might accept their relationship.   
Granny was at the store. Regina caught her eying her shopping basket and smiled. The older woman seemed to know about her dinner plans, telling her that she was so pleased to hear about it and offering a suggestion for choosing the best dessert for them all to enjoy.   
“After all, I’ve had thirty years of serving Snow and almost as much with Emma and Henry, the amount of times they visit the diner.”  
Regina thanked her and waited until she left before purposefully choosing a different dessert. She had wanted to make something special, but if they reached their topic of conversation first she wasn’t sure that Snow or Charming would want to eat her apple turnovers. Shopping complete, Regina paid and took it home.   
-  
Emma rang as she emptied out the bags, confirming that her parents had left for work and all of hers and Henrys things were ready to go. Regina tilted her neck to hold the cell phone in place as she continued to unpack, reminding Emma to put out enough things just in case they glanced in the room before leaving for the meal. The blonde confirmed that she had already thought about that and the signal cut out. Regina dropped the items in her hands and reached for the cell to try and get Emma back.   
A phone rang nearby. Before Regina could turn around, familiar arms wrapped themselves around her waist and Emma’s head came to rest on her shoulder. Giving the brunette a peck on the cheek, Emma loosened her hold letting Regina turn around.  
“Surprise.”  
Regina swatted her on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t do that.”  
“You knew it was me.”  
“Transporting yourself is dangerous, you could get hurt.”  
“Oh, I thought you were going to say you could have thrown one of those fireballs at me.”  
“That too.”  
Emma pouted, lowering her eyes, then looked up at Regina with a grin. “Forgive me?”  
Regina answered her with a kiss. It turned into a longer one, as Emma’s hands began to roam over her body. She backed Regina up against the counter, fingers teasing under her blouse and across her hips. Regina’s hands went behind her, trying to move the half-empty bags, but they broke her concentration.  
“The dinner,” she reminded Emma.  
“You’re not going to start cooking now?”  
“No, but if I don’t put the cold items away they’ll go off and giving your parents food poisoning the same day we tell them about us is not part of the plan.”  
“It might distract them.” Emma teased.  
Regina frowned at her. “I want everything to go well.”  
“It will.” Sighing, Emma pressed her forehead to Regina’s. “How can I help?”  
Regina placed a light kiss on Emma’s lips and pulled a bag from the counter between them, hugging it to her body. “Keep me company?”  
“Always.”   
Emma watched her head over to the fridge, and then peered into another bag, scrunching up her nose when she saw the contents. “Are you sure Henry will eat this stuff?”  
Regina laughed, knowing what she was really thinking. “He will, or there’ll be no dessert.”  
-

Chapter 14.

Emma was fidgeting in the doorway, standing between Henry and her mother, as they waited for Regina to let them in. Remembering Regina’s words, she had worn one of her smarter outfits – okay, so the shirt was one she had borrowed from Regina’s wardrobe after they finished unpacking the shopping – hoping the effort would be appreciated. Henry was acting completely naturally, as though he wasn’t worried about the outcome of the meal. He probably wasn’t, Emma knew his grandparents would continue to love him no matter what. She just wished she had the same confidence.   
“Welcome. Come on in.” Regina held her hands out for their coats, raising an eyebrow at Henry when he kicked his shoes off instead of putting them neatly with the adults.   
Emma smiled at her as Henry went to pick up his shoes and passed Regina her jacket. Her mother began the conversation, asking how she was finding her job. Regina replied, trying to draw Emma into her answer, but she just nodded in agreement. Henry coaxed David away, wanting to test his grandfather’s skills on a new computer game up in his bedroom. Regina let them go, smiling at the way David seemed just as excited as Henry.   
Snow hovered in the kitchen with Emma as Regina put the finishing touches to the meal. Emma had to remind her not to discuss work, but was too nervous to talk more. They were going to tell her parents after the meal, but suddenly that seemed too far away. Regina poured their drinks and began loading the dishwasher with the various utensils she had been using to cook.  
“Why don’t you go check on the boys?” Regina eventually suggested, looking at Emma who had been tapping her feet nervously. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”  
“Me? Why don’t you go, mom?” Emma passed the request on to her mother. “If I go I’ll end up playing.”  
Shrugging, Snow agreed, leaving Regina and Emma alone. Emma moved around to the other side of the counter, wary of getting too close in case Snow returned.  
“Maybe we should sit them down and tell them now?” Emma asked.  
“And waste all this food? Once they know, sitting down to eat might be the last thing on their minds.”  
“It’s just food.”  
Regina reached out and took hold of Emma’s hard, giving it a comforting squeeze. “I want to show them that we can all be civilised and get along. If you like, we can tell them before serving dessert?”  
Emma laughed. “Hey, no fair!”   
Regina watched as Emma’s face fell again. Nodding as she made her decision, she reached over and switched off the cooker.  
“Come on,” she led Emma by the hand out to the hallway and called up the stairs for the others to come down.   
“Really? We’re doing this now?” Emma looked amazed.  
“We’ll just pour them a large alcoholic drink and sit them down. Maybe Henry should stay in his room?” Regina looked up at the sound of footsteps.  
“Yeah, good idea.”   
Emma quickly called up to Henry who was standing at the top of the stairs, explaining that they just wanted to talk to Snow and David. They seated the happy couple in the front room. Regina sat opposite them and Emma went to sit next to her.   
“Would you like a drink?” Regina asked.  
“Do we need one?” David replied, looking at the guilty expression on his daughters face.  
Emma decided to tell them outright, wanting to get it over with. “I’m in love with Regina.”  
“And I’m in love with Emma,” Regina added, as if to reassure them.  
Snow and David sat on the sofa like a pair of startled rabbits caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Their mouths opened and closed, once, then again. Emma sidled closer to Regina, taking her hand.  
“Mom? Dad?”  
“How long?” Snow finally asked.  
“A couple of months.”  
“Who else knows?”  
“Henry…”  
“Of course.”  
“And Archie. I’ve been talking to him since you made that part of the conditions for making me Sheriff.” Regina explained, before being interrupted by Emma.  
“But we only just told him about us. I want to make this relationship work and we know we’ll need his help…. Dad? You haven’t said anything yet.”  
“It’s a lot to take in.”  
“I get it.” Emma looked down at her hands.  
“Honey, you have to understand…” Snow paused as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.  
“Have you told them?” Henry peered into the room from the doorway. “Can we have dinner now? I’m starving.”  
“Henry…” Emma started to ask him to return to his room, but Regina shook her head.  
“You’re right, it’s time to eat. Snow, David, we’d love it if you would stay for dinner but we’ll understand if you need time to think.”  
“David?” Snow looked to her husband for the answer.   
“I… I guess we could stay. If that’s okay with you?”  
Snow nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I can just accept… this…the two of you…”  
“They’re in love,” Henry told them. “What’s not to accept?”  
“Why don’t you help me with the dinner,” Regina suggested, wanting to draw him away and give Emma some time alone with her parents.  
He agreed, if only to get a chance to nibble on the food before it was ready to go to the table.   
-  
Regina watched Emma unwrap her robe and hang it on the back of the door. They had managed to tell Snow and David about Emma and Henry moving in without too much drama. Emma’s parents were still too shocked to say much about the relationship and Henry’s presence had kept their thoughts in check.   
“So, now that I live here will you make me a packed lunch like you do for Henry?” Emma asked as she lay down beside Regina in the bed.  
Their bed. Emma smiled at the thought.   
“Perhaps you could take turns making his lunch?” Regina teased. “Of course, you’ll have to promise to only pack healthy food.”  
“Maybe we should go shopping together and re-stock your shelves with the essentials. You seemed to be low on everything containing sugar.”  
“For good reason. Nothing comes over that threshold without my approval, dear.”   
“There must be something I can do to change your mind…” Emma whispered reaching out to stroke Regina’s delicate skin.  
“Not with Henry in the house,” Regina reminded her.  
“He knows to knock first.”  
“And if he hears what we’re doing?”  
“You could teach me to use my magic to soundproof the room,” Emma moved to position her body over Regina’s, noting there was no request for her to stop.   
Regina moaned softly as one of Emma’s hands roamed down between her legs, “We should talk…”  
“I’m more of a doer than a talker,” Emma reminded her.  
“Now your parents know about us…”  
Emma’s hand quickly abandoned its position and came to rest on Regina’s stomach. “Really bad timing.”  
“It’s important.” Regina rested her hand on top of Emma’s. “We have to be prepared for tomorrow.”  
“And the next day, and the day after that. Look, I don’t care. I have you and Henry…”  
“They’re your parents and you love them, don’t deny it. Their reaction is important to you.”  
Emma shrugged, “they won’t be the first parents to reject me.”  
“This is different and you know it. We’re over the first hurdle; telling them. Now we have to show them that we love each other.”  
“Which we do.”  
“We do,” Regina agreed with a smile.  
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Emma lifted herself off Regina and lay back down beside her, keeping one hand under Regina’s.

Chapter 15.

Regina’s stomach was churning as they walked into the diner. Emma had insisted on holding hands all the way from the car and of course everyone they passed had noticed. She felt Emma’s grip tighten when she saw her parents and tried her best to smile naturally. Breakfast with Snow and David was important. They had dropped Henry off at the bus stop for some privacy, so this was a chance for Emma’s parents to say whatever they wanted.   
“Do you think they’ve had long enough to decide?” Emma had asked after they left Henry, beginning to feel nervous.  
“Decide what?”  
“If they still want to be my parents.”  
“Oh, of course they want that. They love you.”  
There hadn’t been time for more assurances than that. Soon after, they were sitting opposite Snow and David, looking over the breakfast menu. The longer the silence went on, the more Emma’s leg seemed to shake as it pressed against Regina’s under the table. Regina had tried to assure her that meeting for breakfast was a sign her parents might accept their relationship. After all, she hadn’t seen any wanted posters with her picture on the way here.  
“So…” David began awkwardly, looking to Snow for support. “I guess you’re not hiding anymore, if you’re walking around holding hands.”  
“That’s right.” Regina told him.  
“Have you thought about how this will affect you working together? An office relationship…”  
“You’re married,” Emma reminded them.  
“That’s different.”  
“How?”  
“We were used to running a kingdom as husband and wife…”  
“Emma and I worked together as mayor and sheriff before we started this relationship,” Regina pointed out, “and we’ve been successful in hiding it this long without our work suffering.”  
“We’re not saying that, we’re just worried that if it doesn’t work out…”  
“My new job or the relationship?” Regina asked.  
Snow and David were silent.   
“Mom, dad,” Emma bit her lip as she tried to work out exactly what she wanted to say, “I don’t expect you to be happy about all of this, I know it was a shock finding out, but Regina and I are together now. Yes, we’ll probably have bad days when we fight and if that happens we’ll deal with it, but don’t use that as an excuse to stop Regina from keeping this new job. You know we work well together…”  
David frowned at Regina, “if you hurt her…”  
Regina smiled, “I know. You’ll destroy my happiness.”  
“In that case, let’s order and then you can tell me why you haven’t caught the vandal responsible for the graffiti outside our office,” David suggested.  
Emma raised an eyebrow and looked around the table, “that’s it?”  
“Oh no dear,” Snow smiled, “we have a list of problems for the sheriffs department to deal with. As to the personal things, your father and I think it will be rather amusing having family dinners.”  
“You do?”  
“Well, we’ll have to follow the normal route of embarrassing our daughter in front of her date, quizzing the said date on her intentions, the usual things to test the relationship and make sure you’re happy. But all of that can wait. Your father’s right, the graffiti is becoming a bit of a problem, do you have any leads?”  
Emma looked to Regina and shrugged. Regina smiled, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. It looked as though she would be keeping her job and Emma wasn’t going to lose her parents.   
-  
“Come to bed,” Emma called, waiting for Regina to finish brushing her teeth.  
She had been in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes and Emma was getting impatient. Henry was at a sleepover, so they had the mansion to themselves and she had been hoping for some time alone with Regina. Unfortunately they had been kept late at work, and dinner had been a last minute phone call to Granny’s for take-out which they had eaten at the station. Emma closed her eyes and pulled the blankets up under her chin, just wanting to wrap her arms around Regina and fall asleep.  
Regina cleared her throat, standing in the doorway to the bathroom and waiting for Emma to notice her. One eyelid opened, then the other, as Emma drank in the sight before her. She quickly sat up in the bed, watching open-mouthed as Regina stalked towards her in the sexiest underwear she had ever seen.   
“When did you….?”  
“I’ve had this for a while, I just wanted to save it for a night like this.”  
“Huh?“  
Regina leant over the bed, whispering: “when we could be alone, just the two of us in the house with no interruptions. Do you like it?”  
“Yes, oh god yes, you are the most gorgeous woman on earth. Damn, Regina,” the last part sounded more like a whimper as Regina pulled back the blankets and climbed over Emma.   
Regina smirked as she looked down at Emma and considered the best way to remove her sleepwear. She felt Emma’s hands slide up her legs, felt the fingers run over the soft material until they reached the skin just above her hips. Emma’s heart was beating faster and she tried to pull Regina’s body closer to hers. Regina ignored the attempt, pulling back and tugging on Emma’s top.  
“Impatient?” Regina teased her.   
“I want you.”  
“You had me. Last night, remember? Now it’s my turn. I hope you’re not feeling too tired, dear,” Regina purred, her lips close enough to brush against Emma’s left ear as she placed her hands either side of the blonde’s head.   
“No.”  
“Good.”  
With Emma’s co-operation, Regina was able to remove her sleepwear. She took her time touching, teasing, tasting the woman she loved until Emma was begging her for release. Regina complied, finding her already wet, fingers entering her at the same time she placed a kiss to Emma’s lips. When she felt Emma trembling below her, she smiled.   
“I love you,” Regina whispered, eyes locking onto Emma’s.   
-  
Regina felt a little nervous as she entered the shooting range alone. She wanted some more practice before Emma’s next lesson, hating that she found using the weapons so hard. The proprietor accepted her money without comment, subtracting her law enforcement discount. As she passed a poster on the wall she paused. They were offering classes. That was new.   
Holding the rented gun, she reminded herself she needed to learn how to use it for her job. The idea of having something that could be used to kill worried her; it reminded her of using magic and how she had felt the first time Rumplestiltskin ordered her to remove a heart. Part of her wondered if her fear was holding her back from improving.  
She remembered Emma’s words, “a gun is a weapon, but it can’t fire by itself. People have to make the choice to use it. Don’t be afraid, trust yourself and remember as Sheriff you’re not using it to hurt people. Hopefully you will only ever need it as a deterrent, to make the bad guys think twice, but just in case remember why you have it – to protect people.”  
Regina took a deep breath, staring down the range at the paper target. Until Snow, she had never considered failure possible. Her mother had never allowed her to fail at anything; she only accepted perfection.  
Regina smiled as she felt her old confidence return. This time she would succeed, not for herself or her mother’s expectations, but because she wanted to show Emma she could do it.

Chapter 16.

Regina was surprised to find Snow waiting for her in the car park. She was a little annoyed to find her leaning again her car as well.   
“Guns Regina, really?”  
“I’m Sheriff, I need to know how to use one.”  
“No, you don’t.”  
“Would you rather I use magic?”  
“You don’t need either. This is a small town…”  
“With dragons and fairies and…”  
“Exactly, they’re not armed and you don’t…”  
“Emma thinks it’s a good idea,” Regina smiled at her.  
“I’ll talk to her.”  
“Is this because she moved in with me?”  
“No. It’s about that weapon.”  
“What should I use instead? If I have to arrest someone, or defend this town, and the bad guys are hurting people, what do you want me to do? Smiles and hugs don’t stop villains in their tracks, Snow…”  
“Just let Emma handle it.”  
“Because she’s the Saviour? What if she needs my help? What if there’s something only I can stop…”  
“We’ve let you have the job, but people won’t understand…”  
“Emma wanted me as co-Sheriff.”  
“She loves you, and I’m not going to interfere with that because I want to see her happy, but…”  
“I’m almost ready to get a licence and once I do I’m getting a gun.”  
“As mayor…”  
“You can’t stop me,” Regina smiled again, “and, you know what? I think I’m feeling the need to go back and practice some more. Emma will be so happy if my shooting skills improve. Thank you, Snow.”  
She turned effortlessly in her heels and headed back into the shooting range. Snow followed her. Regina just smiled as she passed Martin at the front desk, ignoring Snow trying to call her back. She heard the other woman trying to get him to help stop her, but Martin explained that she had paid and there was no law against those with magic using a gun. Regina tried not to laugh when she heard that part.   
Snow would have to pay to enter the shooting range, and Martin would insist on someone going with her who knew about guns.   
“I don’t want to shoot anyone you idiot! Though if I did, Regina might be top of the list. Now let me in there…”  
“I’m sorry your highness…”  
“I order you to let me through.”  
“If you’ll just wait a moment…”  
“You’re letting the Evil Queen have a gun and I have to wait out here?”  
Thankfully enough doors had shut between them that Regina didn’t hear the end of their conversation. She grabbed her ear defenders and sought out an empty place. Taking a few deep breaths – Emma had warned her not to shoot when she was upset – Regina calmed her heartbeat and focused on the target ahead.   
She managed three rounds before she saw Snow out of the corner of her eye. One of Martin’s co-workers was keeping her back, part of the range’s health and safety rules. Regina took one more shot before removing the bullets from gun and the ear defenders. Then she turned to face Snow.  
“I’m an adult, Snow. You can’t stop me from having a gun.”  
“You really think you need one?” Snow reached out and grabbed it from her. “What are people going to think?”  
“They’re going to think that I’m just like every other Sheriff. Now, hand it back.”  
“Or what?”  
Regina glanced at Snow’s escort, then back at her and smiled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.  
“Snow White, I’m placing you under arrest.”  
“I haven’t done anything!” Snow protested, looking around for help.  
Regina grabbed her wrists and began to list her rights. She had no idea how she would explain this to Emma, but in that moment she didn’t care. Coming up with a good excuse for the arrest would be interesting. Snow had been handling a gun without a permit… she had stolen the gun from her…  
“Need a hand?” Martin asked as Regina escorted Snow past him.  
“All under control, thanks.”  
“Wait, wasn’t he one of your guards?” Snow asked, trying to look back.  
Regina ignored her. If only she had a camera for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Would Martin make a copy of the recording from his CCTV if she asked nicely?   
-  
Emma was in the middle of sending Regina a text message when her father found her. She was sitting in Granny’s diner with a hot drink, enjoying a ten minute break in her day, and wondering what her co-Sheriff was up to.   
“Regina’s arrested your mother!” David was halfway to Emma when he practically shouted the announcement to the whole diner.   
Emma frowned, “but I gave her the morning off. She’s not working until later.”  
“Well that didn’t stop her. You have to come with me and make her release Snow.”  
Reluctantly Emma reached for the jacket on the back of her chair, “what happened?”  
“I’ve no idea. Neither of them are making any sense and Regina refused to give me the keys to the jail cell.”  
Emma bit her bottom lip to try and stop a smile from forming. The last time Snow was in jail, she was suspected of murder. That had been serious. This time, she suspected it was just an argument getting out of hand. Only in Storybrooke would her mother be arrested by her girlfriend.   
Emma paused at the diner doorway. On second thoughts, it wasn’t funny. She was going to have to face her mother and girlfriend and try to sort out the little problem of one arresting the other. Maybe she could conduct the mediation between the two via text messaging?   
-  
Emma walked through the doors and saw her mother sitting on one of the beds, glaring at the bars in front of her. As she moved around the desk in the centre of the room she saw Regina sitting on a chair, facing Snow. She didn’t have to look to know what look would be on Regina’s face. David came in behind her and walked over to his wife, breaking the stare-off between the two women.   
“Emma, thank goodness you’re here!” Snow leapt to her feet and moved to the cell door.   
“Regina, could I have a word?” Emma ignored her mother, deciding that ‘officially’ she should question the arresting officer.   
With her usual, slow gracefulness, Regina stood and finally turned to look at her. The corners of her mouth threatened to turn up, though she otherwise kept a straight face. Emma wasn’t sure whether that meant trouble, or if she should be relieved. It was the same look Regina had when she needed to tell Henry off but secretly thought whatever he had done was really adorable, only she couldn’t tell him that. Was the smile because she had arrested Snow, or because she wasn’t going to back down about releasing her?  
“Just tell me what happened,” Emma instructed as she closed the door to her office.   
“She’s an annoying…”  
“No,” Emma held up a hand to stop her, “the facts. The kind you have to write up in a report to explain why you arrested someone.”  
“Fine,” Regina reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she considered where to begin. “Snow White accosted me in the car park of the shooting range. To avoid arguing with her, I returned inside. She followed…”  
“You were at the shooting range?”  
“Yes, please note I didn’t try to shoot her. Where was I? Oh yes, she followed me inside… you should know that she said she wouldn’t interfere with our relationship if it makes you happy, but she did have a problem with my using a gun. We went inside, Martin tried to stop her, but eventually had to let her in and sent a chaperone… I finished my target practice, removed the bullets from the gun for safety, then she grabbed the gun and started yelling so I arrested her.”  
“Oh.”  
“She has yet to calm down.”  
Emma smiled, “yes, I saw the staring contest.”  
“She was a danger to herself and others. I suspect several laws, or health and safety rules were broken by her actions. I am recommending that Martin ban her from using the shooting range now or in the future and that she not be allowed to purchase a gun.”  
Now Emma was grinning. “Really?”   
Raising an eyebrow, Regina asked: “you find all of this funny?”  
Emma struggled to hold back her laughter, “only the part of me that forgets I have to sort this out.”  
Regina took a step towards her, “maybe I could help you forget a little longer?”  
“Are you only saying that so my mother spends more time in jail?”  
Rather than answer, Regina reached for Emma’s jacket and pulled her in closer for a kiss. They spent a few minutes making out, until Emma felt Regina trying to remove her jacket and she had to stop her.  
“My mother…” she reminded Regina.  
“So?”  
“My parents are on the other side of that door.”  
“We could go home?”  
“Before or after we release her?” Shaking her head, Emma pulled away, knowing that had to deal with this now.   
Regina didn’t answer, starting to think a little more clearly she was wondering, “maybe I should quit? If this is going to cause problems…”  
“No, I like working with you,” Emma tried to reassure her. “We’ll talk to them, try to figure something out.”  
Emma walked over to her mother, holding Regina’s hand as they left the office, “I thought you were fine with me being with Regina.”   
“Not after this little stunt. She arrested me, Emma.”   
“Why did she do that?” Emma asked, trying to keep things calm and allow her mother to think she was listening.  
“She was going to use a gun.”  
“I know. I took her there and told her to practice if she wants to get her licence.”  
“But she’s…”  
“My deputy. There is no law stopping her from going there.”  
“Her trial as your deputy is over, she’s fired.”  
“You can’t fire her.”  
“Why not?”  
The next words from Emma’s mouth shocked them all, “because I quit. Without me you need a Sheriff and as Regina is the only one in the post you can’t fire her until you hold an election for a new Sheriff.”  
“Emma,” David tried to intervene but his wife and daughter didn’t give him room to speak further.  
“We’ll let the town decide if they want Regina to have the job,” Emma continued, smiling as Regina squeezed her hand in support.   
“You can’t do that.”  
“Come on Regina, there’s an emergency back at the mansion I need the Sheriff to look at.”  
Emma removed her badge and gun, locking them in the top drawer of her (old) desk and gave Regina the key.   
“Are you sure about this?” Regina whispered.  
“Yep, absolutely. When the town votes to keep you, perhaps you’d consider hiring a new co-Sheriff?”  
“Or deputy?” Regina teased. “There’s so much paperwork…”  
“Hey, no fair!”  
They were laughing as they walked to Regina’s car, the sound of David trying to talk to Snow fading into the air. 

 

Chapter 17

Regina reluctantly released Snow before Henry was due home from school. She went to the station with Emma, having spoken to David and been assured that Snow had calmed down.   
“I think you should apologise,” David whispered as he hugged his wife.  
“I shouldn’t have taken the gun,” Snow told Regina, before glancing at Emma. “I don’t want you to think any of this means I’m not happy for you. If you want to be in a relationship with Regina, I will support you.”  
“Thanks mom, that means a lot to me.”  
“I would like to talk about your resignation. As only the three of us witnessed that, I hope you’ll reconsider.”  
Emma looked to Regina, who nodded, “okay.”  
“We still need to talk about how the rest of the town will react to Regina having a gun, I know you don’t want to think about it but we should be prepared…”  
“We’ll deal with it when it happens,” Emma assured her, “but I’d like to think those people would be in the minority. After all, no-one’s mentioned the fact that we’re in a relationship and it’s really none of their business if it means we keep this town safe.”  
Regina saw the way Snow twitched at the word ‘relationship’ and she wanted to ignore it, but… “Could I suggest something?”  
“What is it Regina?” David asked.  
“I think we all need to sit down to try and work through everything that’s happening. I’ve spoken to Archie and he’s offered his support. The four of us have had a lot of things to deal with recently and I…”  
“Don’t you think we’ve seem him enough?” Emma groaned, “I’m sure we can figure things out by ourselves. Mum, dad?”  
Although he wanted to agree with his daughter, David knew there was some sense in what Regina was suggesting, “we could give it a try.”  
Once they had gone, Regina called Archie before Emma could back out. The blonde didn’t look happy.  
“Come on, I’ll treat you to lunch,” Regina offered, hoping Emma wouldn’t sulk for long.  
-  
It was family movie night, except Henry had been invited to a sleepover for a friend’s birthday leaving Regina and Emma alone in the house. They were cuddled up on the sofa, under a thick blanket, watching the ending of an old 80’s romcom. Regina found her eyes filling with tears as two of the films main characters said goodbye. She tried wiping them away on the edge of the blanket, hoping Emma wouldn’t notice, but their bodies were too close to hide the movement needed.   
Emma leant over to kiss the top of Regina’s head, “I don’t understand why you like watching movies that make you cry.”  
“Because it’s happy and sad at the same time.”  
“If I was the writer, it would have a completely different ending.”  
There was still ten minutes of plot left, but Regina had watched the film so many times her mind could fast-forward to the end and she didn’t mind the distraction of asking: “and how would you end it?”  
“I would have let her live. She was a much better match for him than that other woman.”  
“But letting her go was an important part of his characters development. She helped him realise that love isn’t something to fear.”  
“Exactly, they were perfect for each other. She taught him to love and that kiss…!”  
“I’ll admit the kiss was moving.”  
“It should have had fireworks going off in the background!”   
“In the middle of the day?”  
“That’s how I feel when we kiss, day, night, whenever.”  
“Even now?” Regina asked lifting her chin and looking into Emma’s eyes.   
“Every time,” Emma confirmed.  
“I love you,” Regina whispered.  
“I love you too.”  
-  
Emma could tell that Regina was distracted. For one thing, the kettle switch was pressed down but not plugged in at the socket, for another, Regina was trying to make Henry a packed lunch on a Saturday morning.   
“What’s up?” the blonde asked, as she looked around the kitchen noting the way Regina had failed to lay everything out with her usual precision.  
Instead of having the sandwich making ingredients together, they were spread out across the counter with snacks and two coffee mugs in-between them.  
“Nothing.”  
“Gina…”  
Regina’s hand shook as she tried to butter the bread, “I’m fine.”  
Moving closer, Emma could see that Regina’s eyes were red as though she had been crying. Taking the knife and placing it down on the counter, Emma put her hands on Regina’s shoulders.  
“I’ve got to finish…”  
“It’s Saturday,” Emma interrupted her, “Henry doesn’t need lunch.”  
“You could take it to work then,” Regina told her.  
“That would be lovely, but first I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”  
“It’s getting late…” at those words tears fell from Regina’s eyes and she couldn’t speak.   
Emma quickly pulled her into a hug, muttering soothing sounds and rubbing a hand in circles over Regina’s back, “it’s okay. Whatever’s wrong we can fix it together.”   
Regina shook her head against Emma’s neck.   
“Come on,” Emma pulled away so she could look at Regina and walked her around the counter to sit them down. “Do you need me to call Archie?”  
“No.”  
“Then talk to me.”  
“It’s stupid.”  
Emma shrugged, “so? I do stupid things all the time. It’s part of being human.”  
Regina smiled, as Emma words had been intended to make her, and admitted: “it was just a dream I had last night.”  
“And it upset you?”  
Regina nodded.   
“Was it a memory of something that happened? Or something that scares you?”  
“Part of it really happened, the rest…”  
“You’re the one who says it helps to talk things through,” Emma reminded her.  
“Sometimes it’s difficult.”  
Emma waited patiently; putting a hand over Regina’s to let her know she was there for her.  
“I was reliving the moment I had to choose whether or not to take a potion to make me barren. In the dream, even though I was still aware of everything that had happened since then, I still drank it. I’ve tried to forget that agony, the pain of my insides changing so that I could never carry a child.”  
“Oh, Regina…”  
“And then the dream changed, and it was happy. We were together in this beautiful place and there was light and laughter pushing the other dream away.”  
“That’s good, isn’t it?”  
“Then I saw the life we could have had. A life with children, lots of little ones running around, having fun… knowing I took that chance away just brought all of the pain rushing back again.”  
“We can have more children,” Emma promised her, “we can adopt. I’ve been thinking about it, I didn’t want to say anything because I thought it was too soon and we’re sill adjusting to us, but when you’re ready I want us to get married and have children and live with you for the rest of my life…”  
“Is that a proposal?” Regina raised an eyebrow as Emma’s little speech drifted off into silence.  
“No… I mean, not yet. Eventually. When we find the perfect moment and we’re ready…” Emma blinked, “is that something you’d want?”  
“I guess you’ll have to wait for that perfect moment to find out,” Regina teased her.  
Emma stuck her tongue out, “meanie.”  
Taking a deep breath, Regina relaxed, “thank you.”  
“For what?”  
“Just for being you.”  
“Love you,” Emma grinned.  
“I love you too,” Regina agreed, leaning in for a kiss.   
She decided to save the rest of her thoughts for her one-on-one session with Archie. Emma didn’t need to know what caused her bad dreams. It was silly, now she had time to think on it. So what if she was a little late this month, she knew she couldn’t get pregnant. She was just being silly.  
-  
Arms folded, Regina frowned and turned away from Emma. Not to be deterred, Emma walked around her until they were face-to-face again.  
“Just take the test,” Emma insisted, holding out the little box and waving it in front of her.  
“Why? I know what it will say.”  
“No you don’t.”  
“I can’t have children!”  
“This is ridiculous! It’s a simple test Regina, come on, for me?”  
“I’m telling you, it’s not possible.”  
“Then prove it.”  
“I knew what I was doing when I made that potion. I.Can’t.Be.Pregnant.”  
“Then how do you explain missing your period?”  
“I’m getting old. Maybe it’s an early menopause!”  
Emma snorted, “oh please, you haven’t aged since I met you. The only menopausal symptom you have is now, being all grumpy.”  
“I am not!”  
“Look, I know you’re worried, you’re scared because you don’t want to think it’s possible, but what if I’m right? Do you want to wait and find out in several months time when you’re in hospital giving birth?”   
“Emma…”  
She hated seeing that look on Regina’s face; the one that showed a side of the other woman no-one else got to see. The vulnerable Regina, the one who didn’t know who to trust, who wanted to be loved but was often afraid of being hurt. Emma recognised that look because it was all the feelings she had experienced as a child. Part of her wanted to give in, to let Regina pretend nothing was wrong for a little bit longer.   
“If you don’t want to take this one, why don’t we go and see Dr Whale? He could run a few medical tests, like a check-up, just to make sure nothing else is wrong.”  
“What would you tell him?”  
“Well, what about the vomiting? Being sick every morning isn’t good.”  
“It was two mornings. I’m fine today.”  
“What if something else is wrong with you?”   
“People get stomach bugs and then with a little help from this worlds medicine they get over them.”  
Emma lowered the pregnancy test, “please? For me?”  
Regina shook her head, “fine. I’ll ask him to carry out my annual check-up a little early.”  
“Great.”  
“You can come with me and see for yourself that there’s nothing wrong.”  
Emma smiled to herself, she didn’t think there would be anything wrong, she just hoped that there would be something right.

Chapter 18.

Dr Whale promised the test results would be back within twenty-four hours. The ‘rush-through special’ Regina usually requested wasn’t available because some of the lab technicians were off sick. Emma suggested the shop-brought pregnancy test again once they returned home, but Regina was willing to be patient.   
“Do you need something to help distract you?” she finally asked, when the blonde began to mope.   
Emma’s eyes lit up when Regina asked that, and she nodded as she watched the other woman undo the top button of her blouse. They had arranged for Henry to go home with Snow and David after school, just in case Regina’s appointment ran late so they had some time before anyone would expect them to go and pick him up.   
Emma settled onto their bed, watching as Regina slowly removed her clothes piece by piece, wondering whether she should start taking off her own clothes or just enjoy watching Regina.   
“Do you…” just then, Regina was interrupted by the doorbell.   
“Ignore it,” Emma told her.   
The sound repeated.   
“Look out the window, see who it is,” Regina suggested, grabbing a dressing gown and wrapping it around herself.   
Emma frowned but did as she was asked, “oh no.”  
“What?”  
“It’s my parents.”  
“Okay, we can ignore it.”  
Emma’s phone rang. Despite Regina shaking her head, and asking her not to answer it, she knew she had to. Their cars were outside, and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that her ring tone would have been heard from outside.   
“Hey mom…no we just got back…yeah I remember, but now isn’t…okay…of course I’m on my way to the front door now to let you in…” Emma shrugged an apology at Regina and headed to the bedroom door, “see you in a second.”  
Regina crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow as Emma ended the call, “you’re seriously inviting them in, now?”  
“They know we’re here.”  
“So?”  
“Henry’s with them and they’ve brought us dinner.”  
After the day she’d had, dinner with the Charming’s was the last thing Regina wanted. At the hospital, Emma had mentioned her ‘stomach bug’, so Whale had taken an extra phial of blood and asked a dozen more questions than usual.   
“Damn Archie and his family meal ideas. I bet Snow had someone at the hospital call her when we were leaving,” Regina roughly pulled her blouse back on and began doing up the buttons.  
Emma headed downstairs before she laughed, knowing Regina wouldn’t appreciate it. Regina was the one who made them visit the cricket in the first place.   
“Ta da!” Snow brandished her Tupperware, assuring Regina it contained a healthy, home-cooked meal.  
Emma looked a little disappointed that it wasn’t take-out but at least it meant neither of them would have to cook. Henry followed Regina into the kitchen to help gather up plates and cutlery while Emma laid out the table and helped Snow unpack the food.   
“Are you okay mom?” Henry whispered, knowing how easily sound travelled through the open doors of the mansion.  
“Of course, dear. Why do you ask?”   
“Your check-up with Whale is on the calendar for next month and you always time it for exactly the same date... or within a day or two if something important is happening. Never this early.”  
She reached out to smooth down a tuft of his hair, “Emma was just panicking because of that stomach bug I had, but I’m fine.”  
“Is that what Dr Whale said?”  
“The blood test results will be back tomorrow, but he couldn’t find anything wrong with the rest of me.”  
Henry looked relieved, “okay.”  
“What’s taking so long?” Emma called through, having completed her tasks.  
“We’re coming,” Henry yelled back, grinning when Regina shook her head in disapproval at the noise levels.   
-  
Snow and Regina were smiling at each other as the three remaining family members helped themselves to another portion food. It was amusing, watching the way they would race through their meals at almost the same pace. Regina had grown up being taught to take small bites of her food, and to chew it slowly as though savouring the tastes. The host should be complimented on the dinner and time given to conversation between mouthfuls. All of those rules went out of the window with this family. Only Snow seemed to understand.  
Regina monitored Henry’s plate, wanting to remind him that if he expected to have dessert he needed to finish his vegetables. Before she could though, she heard her cell ringing.   
“I’ll get it,” she waved Emma back down, “Henry I want to see those vegetables gone by the time I return.”  
“Sure mom.”  
She followed the sound to the kitchen where she had left it and answered without checking the caller ID. A few minutes later, Emma heard Regina’s raised voice and slipped from the dining room to see what was wrong. Hearing a few of the choice phrases Regina was using, and hoping that they weren’t directed towards anyone she liked, Emma moved slowly towards the other woman and waited to be noticed. When Regina saw her, she seemed to calm down and Emma held out her hand for the cell. Reluctantly it was handed over and she listened silently to the information being repeated before introducing herself to the caller. There was silence on the other end, giving Emma time to ask a few questions. She smiled and looked at Regina as she waited for the replies.   
“Yes, I understand. Why don’t we come and see you tomorrow. First thing, yes, that will be fine. Thank you.”  
Ending the call Emma reached out and pulled Regina towards her, crushing their bodies together in a tight hug. She didn’t care when Regina failed to move her arms to hug her back, and Emma kissed her.  
“I knew it!” Emma crowed, “didn’t I tell you?”  
“Emma…”  
“We’re having a baby!”  
“Just because Whale said…”  
“He said he did the tests personally, because he knew you wouldn’t want to wait and we’re to go in tomorrow for a pregnancy check-up because that wouldn’t have been covered on your one before…”  
“Slow down, try and remember to breathe.”  
“It’s it great news?”  
“I don’t believe it. Whale must have made a mistake…”  
Emma rolled her eyes, “not again.”  
“I told you…”  
“Yeah, yeah, special no-babies potion, blah-blah-blah,” Emma waved her hands around as she spoke, her excitement affecting her ability to keep still. “You’re forgetting one thing.”  
“What is that?”  
“Magic. We both have it and somehow we’re having a miracle baby because: You.Are.Pregnant!” Emma grabbed Regina’s hips and twirled them around in a circle.  
Grabbing the first solid counter she could see as soon as they stopped spinning, Regina frowned at Emma. It had no effect. Regina sighed, the happiness in the blonde’s happy eyes beginning to weaken her.  
“Let’s just wait until the scan,” she suggested.  
Emma placed her hands over Regina’s stomach, “I just know there’s a little mini-us in there. There must be a magic spell we can use.”  
Regina placed her hands over Emma’s, “later. When you’re parents have gone.”  
“Oh wow, there really is a spell for everything.”  
“It isn’t quite the same as the one at the hospital,” Regina warned her.  
“But it’ll let us know for sure?”  
“Yes.”  
“You do realise we could have done that instead of going to Whale?”  
“I find myself trusting more in the science of this world than magic, it has less… bias.”  
“Huh?”  
“I’ll explain later,” Regina promised, kissing Emma’s cheek.  
“Hey!” Emma looked offended and pointed to her lips, “what’s wrong with kisses here?”  
Regina smiled, “absolutely nothing,” and proved it.  
-  
Dessert was all gone. Emma had tried to hide half a tub of ice cream at the back of the freezer but, ever the good hostess, Regina had remembered and gone looking when Charming made a subtle check of the empty bowl on the table. Everyone was relaxed, enjoying small talk about the town, which were neutral enough to avoid arguments.   
“Is that the pendant?” Emma suddenly asked Snow, pointing at the silver chain around her neck. “The one in Henry’s book, that dad’s mother gave to you?”  
“Yes,” Snow smiled as she lifted it up for Emma to see.  
“Cool,” Henry moved in for a closer look, “does it still work?”  
“It’s magic,” Charming assured him, “and now we have magic in Storybrooke it does.”  
“Let’s try it,” Emma suggested, turning away from Regina knowing that a death-glare was being sent her way.   
“I don’t think now is the time,” Regina tried to stall them.  
“Nonsense. Emma, why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you how it works,” Snow slipped the necklace off and held it out to her daughter.  
“I think I’ll make a start on the tidying up,” Regina hastily began collecting the plates closest to her.  
“Come on, mom. It’ll be fun,” Henry told her.  
“Why don’t you go first?” Snow offered.  
Regina shook her head. She didn’t want to have to explain to them all when the pendant didn’t work.   
“Look it’s easy,” Snow held it over her own stomach, smiling when it began to move.  
“Snow…” Charming smiled as he looked up at her, “does this mean…?”  
“Oh no, not yet,” she assured him, “but one day.”  
“Boy or girl?” Henry asked, unable to remember from his storybook.  
“Boy… I think,” Snow turned her attention back to the pendant. “I’m sure that means a boy.”  
“Regina’s turn,” Emma told them.   
Her mother shook her head, “honey, it’s okay if she doesn’t want to.”  
“After all, it’s not like you two can have children, you’re both women!” Henry smiled, “unless it can tell if you’re going to adopt? Or go another route?”   
“I meant it’s okay if they aren’t ready to think about more children. It might be too soon in their relationship.”  
Suspecting that she understood what Snow really meant Regina became annoyed. She had been in a relationship with Emma for longer than the other woman knew – minus the mini-break-up – and if it hadn’t been for the potion she would be completely ready to discuss their future with Emma. Of course, a few other things would have to come first. Yes, they were living together, but was she ready for more? Did Emma want a sign of commitment? Regina wanted assurances that whatever happened Henry would stay a part of her life.   
Recognising the stubborn look on Regina’s face, Emma took the necklace from her mother and held it out to her girlfriend, wondering whether a ‘dare’ would speed up her decision. Everyone watched them, until Snow broke the silence.  
“Why don’t you try it Emma? See if I’ll have any more grandchildren.”  
Regina took the necklace from Emma’s hand and held it over her stomach, not daring to look down. Henry later told her that it didn’t move straightaway, and as Emma was too busy watching Regina and waiting for her to look down first she didn’t notice. Snow opened her mouth, intending to make a comment about it not mattering, but when the pendant began to move she just stared.   
Henry was the first to move towards her. When she saw his smile, Regina finally looked down. Tears sprang to her eyes just as Emma moved to hug her.   
“Should we tell them?” Emma whispered.   
“Tell us what?” Henry asked, having been close enough to hear.  
“I guess we have to now,” Regina laughed.   
Emma stepped away so they were facing the others, and took Regina’s hand in hers, “Regina went for her annual check-up a little early, and Dr Whale just rang to confirm it: she’s pregnant!”  
“Mom! That’s amazing!” Henry rushed forward, his arms wide open. “How? When?”  
Emma put an arm around him as he hugged Regina, and looked over to see her parent’s reactions. David had a thoughtful look on his face, while Snow was just stunned.   
“Who’s the father?” Snow followed up with her own questions, “Emma did you know?”  
“It’s my child,” Emma explained.   
“Sure, but who…”  
“No, it really is my child too, mom. Magic made it possible.”  
“Did you do a spell on purpose?” Henry asked.  
“No. It’s as much of a surprise to us as it is to you guys.”  
“Congratulations,” David finally offered a few words. “Did you hear that Snow? Another grandchild after all.”  
Snow didn’t speak until he moved over and put a hand on her shoulder, though her tone sounded a little flat, “I… that’s wonderful. I’m very happy for you.”  
“How soon?” David tried to carry the conversation, to make up for Snow’s lack.   
Regina shrugged, “hopefully Whale can tell us more tomorrow.”  
Henry looked up at her, still excited, “are you going for a scan? Can I come and see the baby?”  
“You’ll be at school,” Regina reminded him.  
“Please? Just this once?”  
Emma echoed him, giving Regina her similar big-eyed pleading look, “I can drop him back at school straight after.”  
“I suppose…”  
“Yes!”  
-  
Emma took one last look at the picture in her hand before holding it out to her parents. The first scan of her and Regina’s baby, scientific proof that Regina was pregnant; though it was too soon to really see anything in Emma’s opinion. Snow took it from her and looked, with David staring over her shoulder.  
“Isn’t it amazing,” he exclaimed, “this world has wonders greater than magic.”  
Emma watched Snow trace a finger over the section Dr Whale had explained was the baby. She saw the moment her mother realised it was real and a smile crossed her face.  
“Oh Emma….”  
Before she had a chance to react, Snow wrapped her daughter up in a hug and began to cry.   
“Mom, it’s okay…”  
“I know… These are happy tears.”  
“They are?” Emma looked to her father, who just shrugged.   
Snow pulled back and turned to Regina who had been waiting behind Emma. When she appeared ready to hug Regina, the ex-Queen put out her hands to stop her.  
“You’re carrying my grandbaby,” Snow reminded her.  
“That’s doesn’t mean you have to hug me.”   
“What about feeling the baby kicking?”  
Regina put a protective hand over her stomach at the thought of it, “we’ve a long way to go before that happens.”   
“Good point. We should really start organising a wedding soon.”  
“Who’s getting married?” Emma asked with a frown.  
“Why the two of you. You can’t have a royal baby out of wedlock.”  
“Henry was born without Emma having to marry Neil. This baby can be the same,” David reminded her, realising that Regina and Emma were suddenly avoiding the others gaze.   
“Exactly,” Regina spoke up, “Emma?”  
“Yeah, I mean whatever you want.”  
“See, they need time to talk about these things… alone.”  
“But…” Snow stammered, “….”  
David quickly took her arm and led her away to give Regina and Emma a little privacy.   
“Why do I get the feeling your mother is going to drive me crazy throughout this entire pregnancy?”   
“Can you imagine how much worse it would have been if I was the one pregnant?” Emma joked, “at least she’ll respect your space when you glare at her like that.”  
“On the bright side,” Regina said with a sudden smile, “I can use the hormones excuse to re-arrest her if she becomes too annoying.”  
“What?”  
“I’ll just arrest her and afterwards apologise and say the baby made me do it. Mood swings are supposed to be one of the side affects I believe.”  
“That is just… evil,” Emma replied with a grin. “You know, you still have to fill out the paperwork for those arrests.”  
“It’ll be worth it.”  
“And as Sheriff, and Snow’s daughter, I’ll have to try and stop you if the arrest isn’t justified.”  
Regina pouted, “what are you saying Miss Swan?”  
“Maybe limit them?” Emma wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and pulled her close enough for a kiss.   
“Once a week?”  
“Once a month, maybe.” Emma kissed her again.  
“Maybe.” Regina agreed. “It’s all your fault, you know?”  
“What is?”  
“Getting me pregnant.”  
“Oh really? I seem to remember that we both have magic…”  
“Then why am I the one carrying the baby?”  
“Because I love you,” Emma reminded her, earning a kiss from Regina.   
“I love you too.”  
“So,” Emma lowered her voice, hoping her parents couldn’t hear, “about what mom said…”  
“Her words just go in one ear and out the other.”  
“Stop it. You know what I’m talking about.”  
Regina sighed, “marriage.”  
“You really don’t want to?”  
“I haven’t given it much thought.”  
Emma was surprised that the words hurt. She hadn’t considered it herself, beyond an occasional daydream about their future together and even then she hadn’t thought whether they would be wearing wedding rings.   
“I see myself with you for a long, long time,” Regina quickly assured her.  
“Forever,” Emma corrected her.  
Regina smiled, “yes.”  
“But no wedding?”  
Shaking her head, Regina watched for Emma’s reaction, “are you okay?”  
“Yeah.”  
Sensing Emma wasn’t being completely honest, Regina raised one eyebrow and gave her the same look that used to make Henry confess. Emma quickly raised her hands in defeat.  
“Really. I mean, it’s like you said, I haven’t had a chance to think about it.”   
“And?”   
“We’re a family Regina. What matters is that the four of us will be together, right?”  
“Exactly,” Regina agreed, pulling Emma’s hand over her stomach.  
“Okay then.”  
Regina kissed her, to avoid thinking about the matter further.   
-  
The pain of the contraction was almost enough for Regina to want to reach out for the person closest to her. That Snow was that person helped her to curb the impulse. Instead, she closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip hard.   
“We’re nearly there,” Snow assured her, hearing Regina’s struggle not to cry out.   
The yellow VW bug turned another corner and Snow’s hand went out protectively in front of Regina as she braked at the traffic lights.   
“Why are you stopping?” Henry asked from the back seat, “there’s no traffic.”  
“It’s a red light.”  
“Go,” Regina growled at her, waving a hand at the lights so they switched to green.  
“I don’t think…”  
“I’m not giving birth in this rusting car. Get me to the hospital, now,” Regina warned her.  
“Just think, if you hadn’t made Emma drive your car because you hate this one so much, it would have been at home instead of the garage and then you could have given birth in that,” Henry tried to lighten the tension.  
The look Regina shot him over her shoulder made him realise that wasn’t a good idea. He sat back and tried ringing his birth mother again.  
-  
Emma ran through the hospital, her feet skidding as she turned a corner. She spotted Henry with her parents in the waiting room and slowed.  
“Where have you been?” Henry asked.  
“Pongo…” Emma gasped, “where….?”  
“In there,” David pointed to Regina’s room, watching as his daughter disappeared inside.  
Emma began her apologies as she entered, taking the hand Regina held out to her. She looked to Dr Whale, who nodded to let her know that everything was fine.   
“I can’t believe you’re in labour,” Emma kept her voice low, talking only to Regina.   
“I thought you were going to miss it.”  
“I promised, didn’t I, and if I’d known the baby was going to choose today to be born I’d’ve made sure Archie locked Pongo up and asked Ruby to stand guard over him.”  
That made Regina laugh.  
Dr Whale examined Regina, “it’s nearly time.”  
“How’s the pain?” Emma asked.  
“The drugs help. I could’ve used them when Greg was electrocuting me.”  
“Hey, don’t think about that now.”  
“What should I think about?” Regina released Emma’s hand as she felt another contraction, not wanting to hurt her, but Emma slipped her fingers through the other woman’s.   
“We’re in this together,” she reminded her.  
Two hours later, and Dr Whale’s constant assurances that it was ‘nearly time’ was beginning to annoy Regina. He finally left the room, to give them a moment alone. Emma suspected he was heading out for a snack.  
“Emma you have to do something.”  
“Anything.”  
“Find a spell to speed this up.”  
“Is there one? And what if it’s dangerous?”  
“I don’t think I can take much more of this.”  
“Hey, I’ve been here. Believe me, once it’s over you’ll…”  
“But Whale keeps saying it’ll be soon. What if something’s wrong?”  
“I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”  
“He’s Dr Frankenstein.”  
“He’s a competent doctor. You just need something to distract you.”  
“You could send your mother in,” Regina smiled.  
“Huh?”  
“This could be my final chance to put the silver bracelets around her wrists.”  
“Stop it,” Emma admonished her, “think of something else. Do you want Henry to come in?”  
“No, just in case Whale is right.”  
“What then?”  
Another contraction hit, robbing Regina of the chance to answer. When it was over, Emma smoothed a stray strand of hair from her forehead.   
“Do you have any regrets?” Regina asked.  
“Of course not,” Emma was quick to answer.  
Regina smiled up at her, as Whale reappeared in the room.   
“All right ladies, how are we doing?”  
“Just tell me it’s time to start pushing.”  
-  
When their baby was born, after Regina had been stuck in the hospital for nearly six hours, neither she nor Emma could stop smiling. Lying back with her eyes closed – just for a moment, to rest them she assured Henry – Regina listened to her family. Emma was holding the baby, letting her parents look but not ready to give up her claim just yet. Snow and Charming were trying to discuss names with them, while Henry moved around the room checking on his new sibling and mothers with his usual energy.  
“I love you,” Emma whispered, coming to stand by Regina’s bed.   
“I love you too.”  
There was a knock on the door. Snow welcomed the visitor in before Regina or Emma could protest.   
“Archie? Don’t tell me Pongo’s loose again?” Regina asked, opening her eyes.  
The ex-cricket laughed, “I hope not. I’ve just left him outside.”   
A few moments later, Granny and Ruby arrived. The little room was becoming crowded. One of the nurses came in to try and shoo a few people out, but when Snow begged her for a little more time she allowed it. Finally Regina got to hold her baby again, as Emma helped Granny divide up the food she’d snuck into the hospital.   
“You know, David and I are more than happy to help baby-sit,” Snow began, waving away the brown paper bag filled with sandwiches which Ruby was holding out.  
“You’ll have to speak to Emma about that,” Regina told her.  
“Why is that?”  
“We’ve decided that I will spend the first month at home, and then I’ll return to work and Emma will stay with the baby.”  
“You will?”  
“I love my family, but I think I like being Sheriff more than Emma does. We realise if we try juggling our home lives with work we’ll be so busy we’ll never see each other, and the lack of sleep, which comes with having a baby, will only add to the stress. We said we might even alternate the months with the job, depending on how we feel.”  
“So you’ll be the only Sheriff?”  
“Graham managed alone during the curse, but I can advertise for a temporary deputy if you think I’ll need one?”  
Snow looked down at her new grandchild, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”  
-  
AN: THE END! Okay, so that took a little longer than expected, and those last sections were really short because I wasn’t sure how this was going to end but that’s why I kept it all in one REALLY LONG chapter (well, long for me). I’m leaving it up to your imaginations whether the baby is a girl or boy (because I just couldn’t decide and this is the end of the story), and I don’t foresee a sequel to this story. It’s ended with Regina being happy with her new job, and happy with her and Emma’s relationship. I thought it might be nice to have Emma at home looking after the baby because she missed out on Henry growing up – and because Regina will still be around (lets face it, if Snow asks where Regina was while she was supposed to be on Sheriff duty, she can just say she was checking up on the baby and Snow will let it slide).


End file.
